Diane & Siggy
Volunteering & Community-based Education
Volunteers come to Maybelle Center because they want to take a tangible step to reverse human isolation and its root causes in our city. Whether serving as a community volunteer or with a college or university, we set up the conditions for a volunteer experience that gets to the heart of our mission: to build inclusive belonging.
In our daily lives, we tend to interact with people who are like us in appearance, speech, religion, and income–and Maybelle Center aims to break this pattern. The key is to bridge differences between individuals so they can turn towards each other and build belonging together. It’s challenging, but when done effectively, has a profound impact on everyone involved.
Through these connections, you will begin to experience inclusive belonging. And you’ll have gained tools to create spaces for inclusive belonging in your own life—not by hearing a story or reading it in a book, but because you’ll feel it yourself. That’s why we say we support all Portlanders in meeting their need to belong.
Join us and experience it for yourself as a community volunteer or student.
Spotlight
Hear from Marie about volunteering with Maybelle Center
Spotlight
Meet Integrative Health students Kasey & Sydney
Volunteer
Volunteers from all walks of life and throughout Portland partner with us to help create a city where we all belong. Most often, our volunteers fill gaps in social health by serving as conversation partners with Members, something that’s been a cornerstone of our work for 30 years.
As a weekly social visit volunteer, you’ll be matched with another volunteer and a Member who selects the visit location, which can be in their downtown apartment, a public place, via phone, or online. Once the location is set, you’ll work with the Member to co-create a relational space to practice nonjudgmental and engaged listening, something that exists between a few individuals but has the power to transform whole social landscapes.
If you prefer a group setting or can’t commit to a weekly schedule, there are lots of other ways to get involved, like playing cards or chatting with members in our Community Room, sharing a talent or skill, or something else! We welcome the opportunity to find new and creative ways to build belonging together.
Student Service-Learning
Service learning, also known as community-engaged learning, enables college and university students to gain hands-on experience applying academic knowledge to real-world situations. In addition, students gain experiential learning by interacting with environments such as Old Town that they might not experience otherwise.
Our longest-standing relationships are with nursing programs, but students of all majors develop a deeper understanding of how stigmas around mental health and financial poverty impact well-being. We focus on creating the necessary structural conditions to bridge relationships between students and Members, so they are based on reciprocity and a shared sense of belonging. This enables meaningful connection with others they may have previously felt uneasy around or perceived as a possible threat.
Students leave Maybelle Center with an advocacy mindset to address the root causes of social isolation and the tools to create inclusive belonging in their personal and professional settings across Portland and beyond.
Find Out More & Apply
We’re thrilled that you’ve made it this far! We would love to get to know you better and share information about current opportunities at Maybelle Center. Please fill out this quick form, and we’ll be in touch within 48 hours.
Please note that all volunteers at Maybelle Center must be 18 years or older.
