Volunteer

There are many ways to volunteer at OASIS. The most important way is something that you can do every moment of the day: be an advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. You can be an advocate by educating yourself on the issue of violence against women, saying something when you see a red flag, telling others about OASIS and our services, and supporting your loved ones who may be survivors no matter what they decide to do.

Office: (828)264-1532 Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm

Other volunteer opportunities include:

Legal Advocacy Volunteers (LAV’s):

LAV’s work with clients engaged in the court system due to domestic violence or sexual assault including civil court cases such as domestic violence protective orders and criminal cases in which our clients are the victims. Advocates provide emotional support to clients and their families, information about the court system, referrals to community and legal resources, in addition to advocating for clients within the legal system. LAV’s are on call to accompany a client to the magistrate’s office or court when staff is not available to do so or accompany staff when there is a large case load.

OASIS LAV’s are expected to be professional, assertive, good listeners, and have an empathetic understanding of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. OASIS provides a minimum of 9 hours of training, a legal advocacy manual, and on-going supervision and support to legal advocates. LAV’s commit to one day of legal advocacy each month for a minimum of one year. They are supervised by the Community Services Legal Coordinator.

Crisis Line Volunteers (CLV’s):

Since 1978 CLV’s have been providing crisis intervention support and services for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.  Volunteers make it possible for OASIS to be available to victims and survivors 24-hours every day, 365 days per year.

OASIS’s Crisis Line Volunteer training is an 18-hour program that teaches skills and educates individuals about resources in the community, enabling volunteers to provide support for people in crisis. Volunteers provide supportive listening, safety planning, community referrals, and are able to connect callers to OASIS staff for other services such as medical advocacy, legal advocacy, and shelter.

Our trained volunteers staff the crisis line at night and on the weekends, as crisis line calls are transferred to the volunteer’s home or cell phone.  A regular shift lasts from 6 pm to 8 am during the week and 8 am to 6 pm on weekends. Volunteers are asked to be available for at 2 shifts each month. CLV’s are assessed by staff through test calls and role plays throughout the year. They are supervised by the Community Services Legal Coordinator.

Office Volunteers:

Office volunteers at OASIS provide secretarial services during peak times of our office hours (8am to 5pm, Monday-Friday). Duties include data entry, translation, copying, answering phones, accepting and organizing donations, cleaning, mail pick up and drop off, posting flyers, and other special projects. Office volunteers receive a training packet and individual training. OASIS asks office volunteers to commit to at least 2 hours each week for a minimum of 6 months. They are supervised by the Community Services Legal Coordinator.