Name of Organization: The Samaritans of Fall River/ New Bedford

Address: PO BOX 1333, Westport, MA 02790

Phone: 508-673-3777

E-mail: gabrielleleco@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.samaritans-fallriver.org/

Background

The Samaritans of Fall River/ New Bedford is a volunteer organization that provides emotional support to callers who are lonely, depressed or suicidal. We befriend and listen to our callers, without giving advice or counseling. Volunteering with the Samaritans will provide you with the opportunity to give back to your community and to strengthen your listening and interpersonal skills. The hours you give can be very flexible with scheduling available between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. every day. We are certified by the American Association of Suicidology and by Contact USA. The experience of volunteering with The Samaritans is extremely valuable for students or professionals involved in psychology, sociology and human services, though volunteers come from all walks of life. If you are enrolled at UMass Dartmouth in a full time degree program, and meet their criteria, you might be able to defray educational costs by offering us community service hours.
 

Volunteer Opportunity’s

The Samaritans are always looking for new volunteers. We provide a full training program for all new volunteers that will teach you befriending skills, the basis of Samaritan work, and how to handle all emergency and non-emergency calls. Training classes are generally offered four times a year, typically September, January, March and May. After the 32 hour training program volunteers make their own schedules. We ask for a commitment of at least 2.5 hours a week and hope volunteers will stay with us for at least six months.