There are several ways to help support the mission of The Whole Child and to get involved in making a difference in the social wellness of our community.

Peer Buddies

*Peer buddies are typical children who are able to follow directions without consistent need for reminders and redirection. They benefit from the social atmosphere of the group and all of the fun and engaging activities we offer, but do not have individual objectives. If the peer buddy ends up requiring more resources than we expect for a typical child, we may discuss adjusting or changing their enrollment status.
We welcome peer Buddies to participate in our program as social models. We look for peer mentors of all ages: 3-17. Peer mentors participate in the social skills groups just as the other participants do. They are there to provide a model of social behavior, so they follow directions and interact with others in a way that is expected and appropriate. Children learn best by the example of their peers. In this way, peer mentors strengthen our programs and increase the overall social benefit. Additionally, peer mentors benefit from the altruistic experience of contributing to the greater good and they do it simply by having fun with us. The feedback we have gathered from our Buddies and their parents has supported our assumption that serving as a social model has provided the Buddy with increased confidence & self-worth, along with the benefits of our program to all children: empowerment in the areas of social skills and regulation. Serving as a Buddy, and doing so with integrity and dedication, allows us as an organization to provide character references for our Buddies when they may be needed. We continue to develop our BeABuddy program to include: ongoing training and gatherings.  If you are interested in your child participating as a social model, send us an inquiry email via the link to the left or go ahead and send us your inquiry form. Interview (meet and greet) and training (ages 8+) is required prior for participation.

ADULT VOLUNTEER OPTIONS

We are looking for volunteers to help us:
  •  Organize community-based activities for our social groups such as field trips or in-the-community activities/excursions. Part of this effort involves seeking in-kind donations from community vendors to reduce the fee for families. Families are already supporting the cost of the social coaches, we are hoping to offer community activities with very minimal (if any) additional cost to the families. These activities allow us the opportunity to coach our TWC kids in the community and help them apply the skills they have learned in group session. Opportunity for generalization of skill is a critical component of effective learning. 
  • Organize TWC Family Activities for our TWC families. Many of our TWC kids have high functioning ASD, ADHD, and/or anxiety. They may have a difficult time at birthday parties, dances, and other social events. They are high-functioning, so often their needs are not obvious to the outward observer. These are not usually children who benefit from being part of a larger ABA organization where the children have much more obvious social difficulties. We would like to build our sense of community among families of high-functioning children with social difficulties by offering TWC family events such as: Halloween Party, Spaghetti Supper... Parents enjoy this casual time to relax, bond, and support one another through parenting the very specific needs these children demonstrate. We feel that family-based activities for TWC families will help empower our families and provide them with a sense of community that is lacking for families of high-functioning children with social difficulties. 
  • Chaperone community-based events and other social events at TWC. 
  • Help us fundraise to support our community-based activities, parent workshops, scholarship fund, and TWC family events. We need to continually develop ways to support the services we offer to the families in our community, which strengthen the social wellness of our community as a whole, so that the financial burden is not on the families alone. We are a 501(c)3 federal non-profit organization and a registered Massachusetts charity. However, to benefit from this status, we must rely upon volunteers who are dedicated and passionate about our mission. 
All volunteers who will have direct contact with children will be required to complete CORI and SORI checks. 
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us by emailing below.