< Volunteer Engagement

Special Programs and Group Volunteers

Your support is a direct investment in our mission to champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow. We provide volunteer opportunities in special programs like Animal Assisted Interventions, Group Volunteer Projects, Festival of Stars and more! Your volunteer efforts are very important to Arkansas Children's. Consider additional ways to help our patients and families.

Please contact Volunteer Engagement to find out more about program participation options.

Volunteer Opportunities

Remote and Off-Site Volunteers are able to fulfill volunteer hour requirements and support patients and families at Arkansas Children’s from the comforts of their own home, office or school. The Arkansas Children's Virtual Volunteer Experience includes recognition during our National Volunteer Appreciation Week celebratory events, invitations to volunteer gatherings, and opportunities to volunteer in-person during Festival of Stars and other special events throughout the year.

Below are our current virtual volunteer opportunities:

  • Create Craft Kits for patients to enjoy in our hospitals and clinics. View a list of approved items.
  • Create a Celebration Box to help a patient celebrate a special occasion while hospitalized. View a list of approved items.
  • Compile Compassion Bags for our frontline team members.  View a list of needed items.
  • Become a Book Buddy. Record yourself reading a children's book and send the recording to volunteer@archildrens.org. Our patients can enjoy the videos from our internal site.

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    Please note: Volunteers will obtain one volunteer hour per ten craft kits, shoeboxes and/or compassion bags received. In addition to volunteer hours, all donations will be recorded and recognized through our In-Kind Donation Program, so please include any financial responsibility undertaken through your donation.

  • Help keep the beautiful grounds of ACH neat and refreshed. Equipment such as rakes, shovels, etc. will be provided by the grounds department. Arkansas Children's requests that volunteers provide their own gloves. All other materials needed for the workday will be provided by the hospital.
  • 10-15 volunteers

  • Provide snacks and supplies for one of our Family Houses for a designated month. Supplies would include paper products (plates, napkins, plastic silverware packets), laundry detergent, etc.
  • Host a meal or break at least once during the month. Food must come from a caterer/commercial kitchen and some dietary restrictions may apply. (Number of people varies by Family House.)

  • Much like our patients and families feel the emotions and anxieties of the healthcare situations that they are facing, our team not only provides care, but sometimes a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold.
  • Providing a snack/meal to a team within the hospital is a great way to give back to the teams that give of themselves for our patients and families
  • Any snacks must be pre-packaged or come from a caterer/commercial kitchen and will be placed in the staff break room
  • Please plan to host approx. 20-40 people depending on unit

Therapeutic Animal Interventions Lift Spirits (TAILS) volunteers are certified therapy dogs and their owners who visit hospitalized patients. In addition to owners meeting standard volunteer requirements, all TAILS volunteers must adhere to the following:

  • Dogs must be older than one year and housebroken.
  • Dogs must be certified by Pet Partners, and certifications updated on a regular basis.
  • An annual medical screening and dog history must be provided by the owner and veterinarian.
  • Dogs must receive routine flea/tick and heartworm prevention treatments.
  • Dogs must be bathed 48 hours prior to a visit and groomed/brushed on the day of the visit.

When visiting the hospital the dog and handler will be met at the front entrance of the hospital. The dog will be crated to go into the hospital and taken out of the crate upon arrival at their destination. Scheduling and placing of TAILS volunteers are completed after the fulfillment of requirements. For questions regarding the Animal Assisted Interventions Program contact the Child Life and Education Department at 501-364-1412.

Project SEARCH® Arkansas: ACCESS® Initiative in partnership with Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and Arkansas Children’s Hospital welcomed its inaugural class in August of 2015. The program is for young adults, ages 18-35, with developmental disabilities. Candidates for the program must have graduated high school, received a GED or certificate of completion. Each year, up to 13 interns are accepted into the program and take part in three 10-week internship rotations on the Arkansas Children's Hospital campus in Little Rock. The goal of the program is to help these individuals develop employment readiness skills, social skills, and soft skills to prepare them for meaningful, competitive employment within the surrounding community.

While interning at Arkansas Children's Hospital, interns have the opportunity to work with more than 25 different departments that are signed on to serve as an internship site. Upon completion of the nine-month program, Arkansas Children's Hospital Project SEARCH graduates receive follow-along services to help with the transition as they move to employment.

To learn more about the program or the application process please visit Project SEARCH Arkansas or contact our Arkansas Children's Hospital Instructor/Coordinator, Jaimel Jointer at Jaimel.Jointer@accessgroupinc.org.

Check out this video for more information!