Share Your Time and Talent
You can make a difference for students and teachers in our community! Champions For Learning, the education foundation in Collier County, is seeking volunteers to help creating life-changing learning experiences for every student.
With the support of our volunteers, Champions For Learning empowers teachers and educators, supports students and parents, and promotes community-based collaboration and learning. No matter your commitment, profession, or schedule, you can help Champions foster a community 100% engaged in support of student success.
Whether you’re looking for a weekly commitment or a one-off event, we have numerous volunteer roles to complement your interests and schedule.
No experience is required, and an orientation/training is provided. Keep in mind some opportunities have ongoing availability, while others only occur during specific times of the year.
Want to Learn More about how to join in?
Attend a Champions 101!
Learn more about how our work is impacting students, families, and teachers in Collier County. Champions 101s are informational sessions that serve as an introduction to who we are, what we do, and how to help.
Engage with Students
About the Opportunity: Change the life of a young person by becoming a mentor in Champions For Learning’s Take Stock in Children program. Mentors are often the first non-authority, adult relationship a student has, and provide guidance, motivation, support, and role-modeling to grow a mentee’s life skills.
- Meet with the same student through his/her high school graduation
- Meetings occur on school grounds over lunch or through an approved video application
Time Commitment:
- Matching in Spring
- Minimum of 16 sessions per academic year
- ~20-minute sessions
Requirements:
- Resident of Lee or Collier County for at least 2 years (whether year-round or seasonal residency)
- Clearance process includes background checks and reference checks
- Join us in an All About Mentoring session for more details
About the Opportunity:
In Collier County Public School’s entrepreneurship program, students create and fully develop their own product or service while also discussing foundational business topics. As a mentor, your role is to facilitate learning, which is different than directly teaching. Student teams will look to you for answers, but they need help finding the solutions themselves.
- Meet with the same student team throughout the school year
- Meetings occur on school grounds during Entrepreneurship class periods
Time Commitment:
Mentors are expected to meet with their student teams once a week for at least an hour. The energy and effort will increase before key milestones such as the Minimum Viable Product Pitch near the academic year’s mid-point and at the year’s end for Investor Pitch.
- Matching in Fall
- Sessions once per week (October-April)
- ~1-hour sessions
Requirements:
- Resident of Lee or Collier County
- Clearance process includes background checks
- Join us in an Entrepreneurship 101 session for more details
About the Opportunity: Our Student Selection Committees are selected groups of community individuals who read, review, and score student applications or essays for scholarships and/or acceptance into one of our programs.
- Read, review, and score student essays for scholarships and/or acceptance into one of our programs
- Work in teams- meet new people!
Time Commitment:
- Various committees occur between September-April
- Approximately 10–15-hour commitment
- Range of formats (remote and in-person) based on committee type
About the Opportunity: Help high school students build personal and professional skills through a lab or workshop. Champions For Learning has developed a curriculum to better prepare our students for post-high school success.
- Participate in a topic-based workshop including college applications, scholarship essays, test prep, etiquette, career exploration, interview skills, resume building, public speaking, networking, goal setting, personal statements, and more
Time Commitment:
- Timing depends on the topic and occurs at various times during the year based on the curriculum
- Range of formats (remote and in-person) based on topic
Engage with the Organization
About the Opportunity: Support our outreach efforts in the community by becoming an ambassador! Ambassadors are volunteers committed to spreading the word about Champions For Learning throughout the community. Our goal is to identify new, engaging ways to connect with others and cultivate these relationships into a strategic partnership.
- Assist with outreach initiatives and build relationships in the community
- Staffed by Volunteers- meet new people!
Time Commitment:
- Flexible role
- Stay informed through regular “Things to Know” communication
About the Opportunity:
- Spend time in our office assisting with a task at hand, from answering phone calls to helping with a mailing or compiling packets
- Bring a friend!
Time Commitment:
- Year-round opportunity
- Often occurs during business hours
About the Opportunity: Event planning assistance and logistical on-site support are a critical piece to our special events. These evenings help raise the necessary funds to help support the overall organization.
- Provide pre-event support including mailings, packaging items and auction item organizing
- Assist with on-site support for special events including pick-ups, deliveries, decorating, check-in help, setup and breakdown
- Work in teams- meet new people!
Time Commitment:
- Most events occur between the months of October and April
- Offered on weekdays and weeknights
“I volunteer because I believe I have experience, ideas, and time to share that can benefit others. Helping others makes a difference in their lives and in mine.”
-Russ, Champions For Learning Volunteer
Engage with Educators
About the Opportunity: Get a glimpse inside Collier County’s classrooms! Educators across Collier County have the opportunity to apply for Classroom Grants of up to $2,000 to support learning inside and outside of the classroom.
- Grant proposals are open to teachers from all public, charter, and independent schools
- Read, review and score submitted grants that can target any subject or grade level
Time Commitment:
- Occurs August-October
- 30 to 60-hour commitment (flexible)
- Kick-off meeting to review rubric and guidelines for scoring
About the Opportunity: These quarterly Educator Conversations bring together future, current and retired teachers and center on topics and themes relevant to the first several years of teaching. These conversations will provide insight for future teachers, guidance for current teachers, all while providing an avenue for retired teachers to continue to share their classroom wisdom.
- Facilitate an engaging, inclusive conversation
- Meet future, current and retired educators
Time Commitment:
- Single-day opportunity, Saturday morning
- Training provided prior to the event
About the Opportunity: Various times throughout the year, we recognize teachers in the classroom. This could be our Surprise Grant Delivery Day, Teacher of Distinction Delivery Day, or just a general appreciation event.
- Assigned teams will be given a pre-determined route with a schedule of deliveries
Time Commitment:
- Occurs at various times throughout the school year
- One-off opportunity
About the Opportunity:What began more than 30 years ago has grown to become a staple of our community. Each year, public and charter schools nominate a “Teacher of Distinction”, someone who demonstrates innovation and best practices in a classroom.
- Committee is comprised of community members who will review each Teacher of Distinction as a candidate for the Golden Apple
- The process includes viewing teacher presentations and observing the practice in the classroom
Time Commitment:
- Occurs October-February
- 80 to 100-hour commitment (approximate)
- Regular committee meetings to support the selection process
- Visit elementary or secondary classrooms
Requirements:
- Due to the knowledge and expertise needed, this opportunity is only open to experienced volunteers
- Committee members cannot be a former CCPS teacher and must not have any immediate family currently teaching in CCPS public/charter schools