Volunteer

Hotline Volunteer: The Cottage is always recruiting dedicated folks searching for an opportunity to offer immediate help to those affected by sexual violence. Volunteers answer our 24-hour crisis hotline, which is of vital importance to our clients and their families, as well as our community. Hotline volunteers sign up for shifts of their choice on week nights and weekends, as well as the occasional holiday, to answer the hotline. A cell phone is provided by The Cottage and the hotline is forwarded to that cell phone during that particular shift. Hotline volunteers may expect crisis calls relating to sexual assault and callers seeking information and referrals. Hotline volunteers will be trained in how to handle calls during our specialized 12 hour training that all volunteers must attend. This training covers topics like sexual assault, child abuse and crisis counseling. This training occurs three times a year, typically in late January, May or June and September. If you feel that you are a person that can handle these issues and you have a desire to work with those impacted by sexual assault and sexual abuse then this may be an opportunity for you. Please note the high level of commitment and responsibility that this opportunity requires. We rely heavily on our volunteers to operate our hotline and need individuals who understand the gravity of this position and are willing to donate a substantial amount of their time. Please contact Executive Director, Sally Sheppard by calling 706-546-1133 ext. 22 or email her at ().

Center Maintenance: If you have skills with physically maintaining a home or office building then The Cottage may occasionally need your assistance when maintenance is needed. Please contact Executive Director Sally Sheppard at 706-546-1133 x. 22 or via email at ().

Garden and Yard up Keep:The Cottage has two gardens and a playground for the children that visit our center. We are looking for folks that are interested in helping us with the up keep of these gardens by watering, planting and pulling weeds. This opportunity is good for groups looking to help out or have a “day of service”. We also need help keeping our playground safe with regular maintenance, eliminating fire ants and pulling weeds. Please contact Executive Director Sally Sheppard at 706-546-1133 x.22 or via email at ().

All volunteers are expected to maintain confidentiality of our clients at all costs.

Donate

Did you know ...
  • $25.00 will pay for the supplies for one night of group therapy.
  • $50.00 will pay for one therapy session for a survivor.
  • $100.00 will pay for supplies and dinner for one night of hotline volunteer training.
  • $250.00 will pay for an advocate to be on-call for one week to be with survivors during exams after hours.
  • $500.00 will pay for 10 therapy sessions for one adult or one child survivor OR allow The Cottage to provide training to collaborative agencies like law enforcement, Department of Family and Children Services and the District Attorney’s Office.
Needs List:
  • Snacks for child and adult clients, such as juice boxes, bottles of water, non-perishable foods such as crackers, cookies, individual macaroni and cheese, or cups of soup, etc.
  • Magazine subscriptions mailed to the center for clients.
  • Toys for boys ages 4-12.
  • Diaries for teen and adult clients in group therapy through our center.
  • Household items, such as toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, cleaning products, etc.
  • House plants for the center.
  • Plants and mulch for the gardens at the center.
  • Fire Ant Killer for the children's playground.
  • Gas cards or bus passes are helpful for the center to distribute to clients that are having difficulty going to therapy appointments due to transportation issues.
  • Electronic game system and games.
  • Children’s movies- DVDs
Monetary Donations

The Cottage is a non-profit agency and has 501c3 status. This means that you may count monetary donations to the center as deductions on your tax forms. Please ask a tax professional about further questions on tax filing matters. (Form 990)