Opportunities From: Montgomery County Volunteer Center

Join our next Volunteer Training - September 16th, 17th & 18th, 2025 from 9am to 4pm in Gaithersburg, MD.

Volunteers are the heart of CaringMatters. In order to responsibly serve patients and the bereaved, every volunteer who works directly with clients must complete a three-day introductory training session, which is often described by graduates as a "transformative experience." 

Because of the interaction volunteers have with clients, necessary background checks, paperwork and other items that must be completed before attending the New Volunteer Training.  These requirements include: 

21 years of age or older

Consenting to a background check (no cost to volunteer trainee) 

Attending an informal interview with Penny Gladhill, Director of Volunteer Helping Hands and co-founder of CaringMatters

After the three day training, specific program volunteers are required to complete additional training. Requirements for each program are detailed below. Please note that volunteers are able to volunteer with more than one program. 

Volunteer Helping Hands Caregivers:

Ability to meet with your clients in person

Reliable transportation

Complete TB test

Provide driver’s license and car insurance

Weekday availability

 

Good Grief Club Facilitators:

Additional two days of specialized training, offered each summer

Ability to meet in person

Reliable transportation

Flexible weekday availability

 

Adult Bereavement Group Facilitators:

Additional one day of specialized training, offered a few times throughout the year

Technology, wifi and skills to utilize Zoom (for virtual groups)

Ability to meet in person

Reliable transportation (for in-person groups)

Availability weekly on either weekday afternoons or evenings

 

For more information, please visit the CaringMatters volunteer page: https://www.caringmatters.org/program-volunteer-training 

To sign up for the training, please contact Amy Fier at amyf@caringmatters.org.

Volunteer Helping Hands, CaringMatters patient and family program, offers short-term, practical, social and emotional support for people of all ages with a serious illness and no reasonable prospect of a cure.

CaringMatters is a non-medical hospice, who carefully matches the needs of the patients and families with the appropriate caregiver.

All volunteers must go through our general three-day volunteer training and complete a background check.  Following training, volunteers will be matched with a patient or family to provide non-medical care such as transportation, running errands, respite care or simply provide companionship and friendship.

We are in great need for volunteers in the Silver Spring area, as well as volunteers who speak other languages. However, we welcome all who are interested in volunteering. Services are provided in homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.

For more information, please visit the CaringMatters volunteer page: https://www.caringmatters.org/program-volunteer-training 

We do not offer SSL hours for this volunteer opportunity. Volunteers need to be 21 or older.   

Are you interested in volunteering with CaringMatters but have limited availability? This is a great opportunity for you!

Volunteers will be trained on how to support CaringMatters patients who are in need of transportation to and from doctor's appointments, medical treatments, social service appointments and grocery/pharmacy trips. Transportation is a major need for those living with cancer and other serious illness, especially for those who must attend multiple treatments or doctor appointments per week. CaringMatters seeks to alleviate the stress and financial burden of finding transportation for our patients and their families. JustRides volunteers do this by providing rides to supplement transportation already being provided by family members, friends and other community resources. At this time, JustRides is only supporting active CaringMatters patients with transportation. 

 

Volunteer requirements:

Attend half-day training at CaringMatters Commit to 2-4 rides per month  Volunteers must have their own car Must be 21yo+ Agree to a criminal and MVA background check

If you are interested in volunteering with this program or for more information, please contact Amy Fier, Senior Director of Patient & Caregiver Services at 301-869-4673 ext. 117 or amyf@caringmatters.org. 

To view the CaringMatters volunteer page, please visit: https://www.caringmatters.org/program-volunteer-training 

We are seeking facilitators for our Good Grief Club meetings. Good Grief Clubs offer peer support in a safe environment for children in grades K-12 to discuss their feelings about the death of a loved one. The support groups run for 7 weeks and help children explore feelings, develop healthy coping strategies, and find comfort and safety in learning that they are not alone. Good Grief Club facilitators complete both the Volunteer Training and Good Grief Club Training. The Good Grief Club Training is offered on two weekdays. When they are assigned to a school, they co-facilitate seven weekly sessions with the school counselor. Depending on the ages of the children, sessions range from 30 to 50 minutes. Volunteers must complete the three-day basic volunteer training and the additional Good Grief Club training. Volunteers must complete a background check. Good Grief Clubs are offered primarily through Montgomery County Public Schools.    

For more information, please visit the CaringMatteres volunteer page: https://www.caringmatters.org/program-volunteer-training 

We do not offer SSL hours for this volunteer opportunity. Volunteers need to be 21 or older.          

We are seeking volunteers to serve as facilitators for bereavement groups! CaringMatters provides adult support groups that allow participants to meet others who are also grieving, share their stories, and learn from one another. Specialized groups include adult child loss, parent loss, sibling or friend loss, spousal loss, and suicide loss. Additional groups are formed based on community need.

All volunteers must go through our general three-day volunteer training and then a shorter additional adult bereavement training. Volunteers must also complete a background check.   

After completing both trainings, they are assigned in two-person teams to co-facilitate 1½-hours-long meetings. The frequency of meetings varies. Some groups meet during the day, but most meet on weeknights from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Currently, most of the adult support groups are meeting online via Zoom.

For more information please visit the CaringMatters Volunteer page at: https://www.caringmatters.org/program-volunteer-training

We do not offer SSL hours for this volunteer opportunity. Volunteers need to be 21 or older.   

Seeking volunteers for our overnight weekend camp, Camp Erin, for children grieving the death of a loved one. Camp Erin is a bereavement camp offered to children ages 6 through 17 and includes age-appropriate discussions and fun-filled creative experiences designed to help children share their feelings with their peers who are in similar situations. Camp Erin is offered in partnership between CaringMatters and Bar-T, a premier childcare provider. Camp Erin Montgomery County is scheduled to be held May 3-5, 2024 at Bar-T Mountainside in Frederick.

We need adult volunteers who serve in a variety of roles. We especially need volunteers who can serve as a "Big Buddy" to a child who has recently experienced the death of a loved one. A Big Buddy provides caring support to his or her assigned Little Buddy by listening to the child discuss the loss, both in the supervised group sessions and throughout the camp events. 

Detailed information, volunteer application and reference forms available online at https://www.caringmatters.org/camp-erin.