Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and infants? Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey offers a range of fulfilling volunteer opportunities, including the exceptionally rewarding Nj Cuddle Care Program. This program allows compassionate individuals to provide comfort and care to our youngest patients, offering a unique chance to give back to the community while experiencing the profound joy of nurturing a child.
Recreational Therapy Programs: Find Your Perfect Fit
Children’s Specialized Hospital provides various recreational therapy programs across multiple locations, ensuring there’s a perfect volunteer opportunity for everyone.
Mountainside Long Term Care Facility
Located in Mountainside, NJ, this facility has several programs where your help is greatly appreciated:
- Evening Recreation: Engage with children during their free time, assisting with games and playful activities to brighten their evenings.
- Patient Pal: Become a friend to a resident, offering support with homework and creating valuable social interactions.
- Open Playroom: Help create a fun and stimulating environment in the playroom, assisting children in various play activities.
- Room Buddy: Bring joy directly to a patient’s bedside by engaging them in play and offering crucial socialization.
Toms River Long Term Care Facility
In Toms River, you can contribute to the well-being of children through:
- Afternoon/Evening Recreation: Similar to Mountainside, assist with recreational activities during open play times, bringing smiles and laughter to children’s afternoons and evenings.
New Brunswick Inpatient Facility and the NJ Cuddle Care Program
Our New Brunswick facility is home to the heart of the NJ Cuddle Care Program, alongside other vital recreational roles:
- Evening/Weekend Recreation: Support recreational activities during evenings and weekends, ensuring children have engaging and enjoyable experiences outside of therapy hours.
- Open Playroom: Focus on our youngest patients – infants and toddlers – by assisting with age-appropriate play in the playroom.
- Patient Cuddler (NJ Cuddle Care Program): This is where you can directly participate in the NJ Cuddle Care Program. As a Patient Cuddler (volunteers must be 21+ for this role), you will provide essential comfort by rocking and holding infants who need extra attention. You’ll also have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one play with toddlers and preschool children, offering crucial interaction and developmental support. This program truly embodies compassionate care and makes a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable infants and children.
- Recreation Room: Work alongside our staff to facilitate group activities, from games and crafts to sports and music, and even special events, enriching the lives of our patients.
- Room Buddy: Offer bedside companionship and play to patients, fostering socialization and a sense of connection during their stay.
Activity Connection Programs: Social Engagement and Support
Beyond recreational therapy, our Activity Connection Programs focus on social interaction and community engagement. These programs are available across Mountainside, New Brunswick, and Toms River areas:
- Adaptive Aquatics: Provide one-on-one support in the pool, ensuring participant safety and engagement in swim activities.
- Friday Night Fever (Community Outings): Supervise and assist individuals with disabilities (ages 13-21) during social and recreational outings within the community, fostering inclusion and fun.
- Play Group: Help create a welcoming environment for young children and their caregivers to connect through play-based activities, building community and support networks.
- Social Club: Guide and encourage positive peer-to-peer social interactions, helping individuals develop essential social skills.
- Teen Night: Similar to Friday Night Fever, support and supervise teenagers with disabilities (ages 13-21) during social and recreational activities designed just for them.
Therapy Observation & Other Volunteer Paths
For those interested in healthcare careers, we offer Therapy Observation opportunities across numerous locations in Bayonne, Clifton, East Brunswick, Egg Harbor, Hamilton, Mountainside, Newark, New Brunswick, Toms River, Union, and West Orange. This is a fantastic way for students to observe Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Language Pathology professionals and assist with non-therapeutic tasks.
Additionally, we have opportunities in Somerset with the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Intensive Program and the RUCARES Program, ideal for those interested in psychology, ABA, or related fields. General volunteer roles such as Clerical Office Assistants and Lobby Escorts are also frequently needed.
Ready to make a difference? Apply Today and discover the rewards of volunteering at Children’s Specialized Hospital, especially through the heartwarming NJ Cuddle Care Program. For any questions, please reach out to our Volunteer Services Department at [email protected].
