Making Connections and Rewarding Success
Committee/Council Description:
First Year Active Members Eligible
Making Connections, Rewarding Success provides recognition and rewards for students between the ages of 6 to 18 years old who are working to achieve individual behavior and therapy goals while attending the Canopy Children’s Solutions CARES School. Students attend the CARES School due to behavioral or emotional challenges that prevent them from attending a public or private school in their home communities. During the year, students earn “merits” by displaying targeted positive behaviors. Each week the students are allowed to use the merits to purchase allowable items of their choice at the CARES AIM Store. Upon completion of the CARES program, most students transition to a less restrictive environment where they fully participate in the general education curriculum. Members will also help reinforce positive behavior by arranging for special guest speakers to help the youth develop critical life skills to be used upon leaving Canopy. Volunteers will also set up and host monthly birthday celebrations for the children whose birthday falls with the respective month, volunteers will attend off-campus field trips with the children as arranged by Canopy Staff.
Hours:
50 - 59 Hours
Availabilities:
Business Hours
Morning
Evening
Seasons:
Year Round
Skills:
Coaching and mentoring
Community partnerships
Competencies:
Cultural competency
Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
Community Issue Area (if applicable):
Health and Mental Well-Being
Community Partners (if applicable):
Canopy Children’s Solutions CARES School
To learn more about the Canopy Children’s Solutions and the CARES Center, please visit https://mycanopy.org
Specific Job Responsibilities of Placement:
This project offers both morning and evening components. Volunteers operate the “AIM Store” on Wednesdays during the school year from approximately 9:45 am to 11 am, and also assist with special events scheduled by Canopy staff throughout the school year. Special event activities include supporting a variety of special occasions such as monthly birthday parties, holiday celebrations, off-campus field trips every nine weeks (as planned by Canopy staff), and a spring “prom” for all students, as well as assembling “welcome bags’ for new students. These events take place during the school year, primarily in the evenings, with some volunteer opportunities available during the daytime for event preparation and additional opportunities in the evening for event staffing.
Insights and experience members will gain:
A desire to work and interact with children is necessary.
Committee Meeting Details:
As a volunteer on the Making Connections, Rewarding Success project, you must meet the following requirements in order to complete your project placement and receive project credit for the year. If you have any questions or cannot meet the requirements as described, please contact the Placement Chair at placement@jljackson.org for further direction.
Note: The following list is an outline of the project requirements. As needs arise, this list may be modified or expounded upon in order to properly complete the project for the Community Partner.
- Attend project orientation.*
- Attend cultural competency training.*
- Complete your online project evaluation and online placement evaluation upon project conclusion.
- Participate in and attend two (2) morning project meetings each month, on-site, at Canopy Children’s Solutions located in Jackson (dates TBA).
- Stock, operate, and manage a merit-based store for the benefit of the students at Canopy Children’s Solutions.
- Assist in ordering and collecting supplies for the CARES AIM store.
- Assist and attend with birthday parties and other special events throughout the year.
- Attend field trips as assigned by the Project Chair.
Orientation or Training Details:
- Attend project orientation. (date, time, and location TBA)
- Attend cultural competency training.
Important Information:
Volunteers must sign a confidentiality agreement upon arrival during each visit to the campus.
The project location will be the Canopy Children’s Solutions CARES School at 402 Wesley Avenue (across from Millsaps College).
“Working with the Making Connections Reward Success project has been a joy. Building relationships with the staff and children has been incredibly meaningful, and watching their weekly progress reflected in their points has been truly rewarding. Celebrating their successes through rewards reminds me that this program is perfectly named because it's not just the children who benefit. The volunteers are enriched and inspired right alongside them.”
For more information, contact 2025-2026 Project Chair Tiffany Griffin at tmlaury@yahoo.com.
