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Volunteer Today…Make a lasting difference!

2012 Mayor's Volunteer Houston Awards Congratulations Andrea Schmauss and Thank you for all You do! Volunteer Houston, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Houston and Shell Oil Company,honored outstanding Houston volunteers through the Mayor’s Volunteer Houston Awards. The awards were first presented in 1984 to honor individuals and groups who have performed exceptional volunteer service in the Houston community. A diverse panel of community judges reviewed nominations to choose the honorees.  Andrea Schmauss, for her support and comitment to law enforcement personel, was one of only 14 honorees that received the recognition this year.

MADD was created over 30 years ago by a couple of Volunteers that wanted to change the world as they had experienced it! The two of them gave time, energy, effort, passion, and drive and now look where MADD is in the world and all the things that are have been changed in our culture, laws, language, and consciousness. All because 2 Volunteers wanted to make a lasting difference and save lives!

MADD could not possibly do all that MADD wants to do without volunteers! If you have 2 hours one day a week, or half a day, or one day a week, or one day a month, or 2 days a year….whatever valuable time you can spare we will appreciate the gift of that time.

MADD has many ways and avenues that you can help and serve.

The Process

Please look over the varied Volunteer Opportunities below. There are specific contacts for each volunteer need. If you are not sure you can always contact our Coordinator of Volunteer Services: Dave Anderson (dave.anderson@madd.org) or at 281-590-2222 Ext. 24.

1. After you choose one or more ways that interest you then you will contact the staff person listed by the opportunity.

2. After supplying us some basic information we will get to you an application and all that is specifically required for that area you are applying.

3. Once the application is received, we quickly process it and you are scheduled for an interview.

4. After the interview a brief Orientation and Welcoming is given with information welcoming you to the MADD Team and gives you many things to inform and equip you as a vital part of MADD.

5. You begin as your schedule permits and allows.

** Remember: if you sign up interested in one avenue of Volunteering and then decide it is not really for you it is very easy to look and volunteer in another area!

Basic Questions for you to Volunteer.

These are just for you to answer to us when you contact MADD.  It will assist us in guiding you with the best fit for your volunteer service(s).

1, Are you available during the daytime hours at any time Monday through Friday? Or would something after hours and weekend be better?

2. Are you over 18 years old? (We have several opportunities for High School Volunteering as well. 

3. Do you have reliable transportation (public transportation counts!) ?

4. What part of S.E. Texas do you live? In what county??

** Click here for the MADD application** Please indicate on the application heading which of the following Volunteer opportunities that you are interested in. You may list more than one.

Victim Services

One of the cornerstones of MADD’s Mission and work is assisting and supporting the victims of this violent crime. Some of these Volunteer Opportunities include:

• Becoming a trained Victim Advocate and deal directly with the victims, their families, and others that have experienced loss due to a drunk driving crash.  You will receive our renown VATI Training (Victims Assistance Training Institute) and will give direct emotional and practical support to the people that need it most in our work.  You will also be trained to guide them through the court system, and be a support to them as their case comes to court and with the many avenues of support that MADD can assist them.

• Help with our Victim Impact Panel as we get to speak to offenders about the consequences of their driving. These regularly scheduled meetings are mandated by the courts. You will help coordinate victims that will share their stories, registration of participants, and help locate and coordinate other effective presenters!

• Candlelight Vigil Coordinator and Committee. Help others and working with an assigned staff person locate and get victims and their families to attend our yearly event that is a "Celebration of Life” for victims of Drunk Driving. You will help create and instigate a beautiful, positive and healing event that will is so vital to the continued healing of our victims.

• Support Group Assistance helps with our Support Group(s) that meet once a month for Victims and their families.

• Serve on the Advisory Council for the Victim Services Division.

• Additional Ways: 

• Help our staff coordinate permission and memorial marker placement at crash sites.
• Helping staff create and implement events during national Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
• Help with photo logging, notes of support to Victims and their families, researching and finding press releases about drunk driving crashes in our region, and much much more.

Speak Up,  Speak Out and Reach Out

We have numerous invitation and opportunities for volunteers to go and speak to civic, church, school, private and corporate organizations, meetings, and gatherings! We give you fact cards, formats, and specific training through our Speaker’s  Bureau programs. You will be trained to speak on behalf of every aspect of MADD. Most of these are during the day and some are weekends and after hours.

We also need your Volunteer help to reach out to the communities within the counties that we serve. MADD is invited to hundreds of health fairs, school awareness events, safe proms, safety fairs, law enforcement awareness days, and more. You will take the MADD resources and information, specific brochures and hand outs, and you will be the face and representative of MADD at these public events!

Youth Programs

**Please click here for information about Volunteering with our Youth Programs.

Court Monitoring

** Please click here for information about Volunteering with our Court Monitoring Program.

Public Policy

    Since the beginning of MADD,  it is vital that laws and public policies be changed to protect the public and everyone on the roads against drunk drivers. MADD considers drunk driving to be a selfish violent crime and someone chooses to drink and drive. Working on the Public Policy Team looks at legislature, laws, upcoming local, State, and Federal Bills that are being voted for and how MADD is effected by these bills.

Events and Development

MADD has 2-5 special events every year that serve in a wide variety of functions and needs. They might include:

o Candlelight Vigil
o Annual Golf Tournament
o WALK Like MADD 5 K Walk
o Public Awareness Events
o Tie one on For Safety Red Ribbon Campaign
o Help create other “wrap around” events
o And more fun things.
  

Madd also has a very active and ongoing Development Team that is constant in it’s efforts to add to the revenue base for MADD.  A volunteer with Development would work closely to help

o Investigate  and develop additional fundraising programs for our local offices or assist with the existing programs.
o Recruit other volunteers for events and fundraisers
o Work with local retailers for collateral and monetary support.
o Memorial Giving Program
o Year End Appeals and other mail outs
o Professional Networking events and Corporate Cultivation
o Financial Oversight
o And more…

Administrative Support

We wish we could hire a staff of 50+ people. We do not have the resources to do so and we depend and look for people to volunteer as Administrative support here in our offices of the Southeast Texas MADD Regional Offices.

If you have a half day a week, or one full day each week, or more…and even if it varies from week to week we sure could use your help. You may be assigned to help wth the day to day operations and the clerical and supportive tasks that are needed for a smooth and professional office setting. You also may be assigned to a specific staff member or a specific task that falls under one of the previously mentioned programs.  We also need volunteers for special mail outs and would want to be notified for specific special times you need more hands to help. Whatever level of computer, or phone, or typing, or any skill we have tasks and needs for your volunteer help.

Chapters
 
MADD Southeast Regional office serves the following 10 Counties:

Volunteers are needed in each county to help us establish and maintain a MADD Chapter that focuses on that specific county and the drunk driving crises within that county. The tasks are similar and varied as the Volunteer Opportunities listed above…

Ft. Bend County has begun it’s Chapter and meetings and work has already begun there.

** Please click here to see the schedule and things happening in the Ft. bend County Chapter!

It is the goal of the regional office to have an active and involved Chapter in every one of these 10 counties as soon as possible. This is communities taking charge of their home counties!