Ways To Help
Volunteer
Become a Volunteer
A Work Of Heart
Thank you for considering volunteer opportunities with FSS. Without the helping hands and caring hearts of our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to provide many of the programs that enrich the lives of older adults. Our volunteers really do make a meaningful difference. Are you interested in joining the FSS volunteer family and giving back to your community? We’d love to have you on our team. Please contact us at 770-461-0813 or info@fayss.org to connect with us.
“I was looking for more ways to get involved and give back to my community when I stumbled upon Fayette Senior Services! I decided to reach out and was amazed at the opportunities available. Deciding on which area to volunteer was a challenge, but knowing I’m a part of this family has not only made a difference in my life, but I know I’m also making a difference in the lives of those I’m serving!”
– FSS Volunteer
Getting Started
We Want You To Enjoy A Positive Experience, So We Will Make Every Effort To Match You With An Activity That Will Be Rewarding For You And Beneficial To The Seniors We Serve
The first step toward volunteering is to complete the application form. Access the link to submit your application online, print and bring the application to the center, drop it in the mail, or stop by and fill one out at either of our locations. Once received, your application will be reviewed, a background check/driver’s license check will be completed, and we will contact you to schedule an orientation.
Before beginning your volunteer service, you will be asked to:
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- Complete the volunteer application
- Complete a background check and driver’s record check
- Provide two personal references
- Complete a training program for your choice of service
Available Volunteer Opportunities
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- Front Desk Receptionist for Fayetteville or Peachtree City – Our reception area is one busy place! You will play an important role by providing administrative support to our member services team. Customer service is our top priority as we welcome new and current members and assist them with class and event registration.
- Fitness Center Assistant – Help us maintain a friendly, clean and safe environment and provide instruction for our fitness equipment. Fitness center volunteers will receive CPR Certification.
- Computer Instructors – Instruct classes on Word, Windows, exploring the Internet, and more.
- Café Assistant – Welcome our guests and members for lunch and offer hospitality to all. Assist our wonderful kitchen staff with food service duties which include serving from the food line, refreshing beverage stations, assisting guests and members with their trays, and cleaning up.
- Meals On Wheels Driver – Deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors throughout Fayette County. Drivers can choose a regular weekly route or choose to be a substitute driver to be called on as needed.
- STARs Program Assistant – STARs (Seniors Together After Retirement) spend the majority of their days together at the Life Enrichment Center, making crafts, playing games, eating together, and having a great time. You’ll have a helping hand in the activities and assisting with their day.
- Therapeutic Garden – If you have a green thumb, this is the place for you!Help tend the beautiful garden on the grounds of FSS.
- Special Events Assistant – Help with special events. Provide assistance with event coordination, set-up, decorating, and clean-up.
- Tool Team Member – Help perform minor, routine home maintenance tasks and repairs to help ensure the safety of individuals in their homes.
Benefits of Volunteering
Give back to your community and enjoy making new friendships!
Center volunteers have many perks while volunteering:
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- Free center membership ($30 value for in-county residents and $90 value for out-of-county residents) with 75 hours of annual service
- Fitness Center volunteers receive a free fitness center membership
- Café and STARs Assistants receive a free meal in the café on the days they volunteer
- Free CPR and AED training for Fitness Center and STARs volunteers
- Monthly Volunteer Spotlights in the Enrichment Newsletter
- Quarterly Volunteer Appreciation socials
Volunteering is a work of ‘heart’ and the volunteers at FSS are full of just that!
Books, Bread, and A Big Heart for FSS
One of the best parts of my job as Volunteer Coordinator at FSS is learning the stories of the amazing volunteers who serve our community, volunteers just like Carla Waters! Carla is one of our Meals On Wheels stars who is described by co-workers quickly with just a mention of her name as “wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!” And we couldn’t agree more!
Carla’s story begins in Poland, Ohio, where service and adventure were woven into her life from the very start. Both of her parents were World War II veterans – her mother, Ruth, proudly served in the WAC (Women’s Army Corps) and later worked for the Selective Service, while her father, Bob, delivered troops and supplies by train throughout the Middle East before returning home to work for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). Growing up with three older sisters, Carla spent her childhood playing “school”, visiting family in Pennsylvania, and enjoying hikes and jeep rides at her Aunt Doris Jean and Uncle Bob’s farm in New Baltimore, PA, all early hints of the adventure seeker she’d one day become. Carla attended Poland Seminary High School, and her first job was at McDonald’s, back when a Quarter Pounder with cheese was still under a dollar!
While serving in the U.S. Air Force and stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base, Carla met her future husband in the most delightfully 1980s way – at the Holiday Inn bar just off Interstate 55! She and “Saint Mike” were married in 1985! Mike went on to spend 34 years as a pilot with Delta Air Lines and Carla worked part-time at FSS. For many years, even before she worked at the center, she was a dedicated FSS volunteer dating back to the mid-1990s, after answering a classified ad in The Citizen Newspaper looking for drivers and volunteers to deliver meals. We feel honored to still have her volunteering with us today! Carla has lived in Fayette County for 33 years, and her connection to FSS began at the original “little white house” on Lee Street, continuing on to the beautiful center that now serves as FSS’s home.
When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering, Carla doesn’t hesitate: “Hands down, the people! The staff is amazing and the clients are so delightful and grateful. What I love most about being at the center is watching how connected everyone is and not to their electronic devices! It’s a special place where everyone is welcomed, and meaningful relationships sprout!”
True to her self-description as an adventure seeker, Carla’s greatest joy is the luxury of travel. She has rafted the Colorado River, the Snake River, and most of the rivers throughout Georgia and Tennessee. She’s also hiked both into and out of the Grand Canyon – no small feat! Her hobbies include reading, researching upcoming trips, and most recently, baking bread.
Just for Fun with Carla:
- Items if stranded on a desert island: “Books, wine, music…and of course Saint Mike!”
- Best thing that happened this week: Spending time with wonderful people.
- Karaoke song: Wild Thing by The Troggs
- Choice for late-night talk show guest: Stevie Wonder
- Favorite cartoon character: Bugs Bunny! Always into trouble but never worse for wear
- One song for the rest of her life: Ribbon in the Sky by Stevie Wonder or Indian Summer by Chris Botti
Carla’s warmth, curiosity, and genuine love of people makes her a treasured part of the FSS family. Thank you, Carla! We’re so grateful for your many years of service and for the adventurous spirit you bring with you wherever you go!