Boaz & Ruth

We are so grateful for the many people around our community that are always willing to step up and volunteer their time and talents to help us at Boaz & Ruth continue our efforts to help those around our community. Here are just a few of the many things you can do as a volunteer with our organization. We welcome individual and groups of all ages. Be aware that most of these jobs are not child friendly. Most group jobs will require a financial contribution as well to help cover the cost of the project and preparation for the group. Please contact our office if you would like to volunteer time so that we can coordinate efforts and make the most out of your time with us.

Office/Administrative Assistance There are a variety of ways to help with administrative and office duties. Most are project based and would be needed at very specific times if we are getting ready for an event or a large mail out around the holidays etc. Duties may include filing, stuffing envelopes, updating data, moving and organizing files or boxes, folding brochures or putting together care kits.

Community Garden The garden is seasonal so spring and summer is when we need the most help. Duties include weeding, planting, cleaning, repairing/repainting fences, pruning trees and much more.

Thrift Store The thrift store runs year-round we use volunteers to help clean, sort donated, wash and dry donated items and create displays.

House Repairs/Maintenance This area is where we need the bulk of our volunteers year-round. WE offer transitional housing in the Highland Park community. We have 7 houses that all give housing to 4 or more individuals each. These homes are older homes so there is always work that needs to be done. Duties could include painting, cleaning, general repair of sheetrock, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, porches, fences, windows and appliances. There are other larger projects that require skilled trades people to repair or replace so we are always open to anyone open to doing a gift in kind donation of work or materials.

Automotive and Small Engine Repair Repair and maintenance for our moving truck as well as lawn mowers, landscaping equipment and power tools.

Landscaping General maintenance and care for the yards around the houses and offices properties. Duties include trimming trees, racking leaves, cleaning, repainting fences and planting when needed.

Mentoring As part of our Jobs for Life training programs we offer “Champions” to our program participants. These are folks who would spend some time with them during classes on Tuesday or Thursday mornings for a 5-week session and help mentor them through the process of looking for work. Then stay in touch for a short period of time after the classes are done to follow up. We also have professionals from the business community come in for the final sessions of the classes to help with mock interviews to prepare them for the final steps in landing that job.

Marketing/Social Media We give every effort to share information and spread the word about our efforts. This is how we can get more volunteers and funding as well as letting those outside the community know what is happening here. This can be a time-consuming effort and expensive effort. Volunteers may help create social media post, work on website data, write a blog or even just be a social media ambassador and just share everything we post to keep the work going.

Photography/Video Volunteers may shoot photo or videos at our graduations or a multitude of other events we host in the community. We also need photos of the house and other properties as well as photos of staff and volunteers to use in promotional material and social media post.

Empowering the physically blighted commercial corridor of Highland Park by restoring buildings, operating social enterprises and providing jobs.

Rebuilding lives of men and women needing a second chance through relationships, transitional jobs and training.

Connecting Highland Park neighbors and our program participants to the wider Richmond community through shared experiences that bridge racial, economic, and geographic barriers
 

A key foundation of our mission is collaborative partnerships with our neighbors in Highland Park, with the criminal justice system, with other nonprofits and government agencies, as well as with individuals and faith-based and academic communities. Our creative vision has received national recognition including an invitation to the White House for an event recognizing social entrepreneurs who pursue innovative solutions to serious social issues.

Because Highland Park is in the center of 6 of the 7 census blocks with the most number of returning folks from prison and jail, we have developed a formal reentry program to help individuals rebalance their lives. When someone is released from prison, a decent job, a safe home and healthy relationships are hard to come by. Add to these challenges of re-entry the fact that individuals often return to communities weighed down by the very problems and issues that help spawn crime and it is easy to understand the vicious cycle of recidivism. It is difficult to sustain long-term individual change without changing the community as. Who better to be change agents for a community than community members themselves who may have contributed to the community challenges? Men and women doing the hard work of personal change are changing the community around them. That's what makes Boaz & Ruth's program so unique.