Volunteering with Cephas
Cephas is
a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of New York.
Our mission statement is “Breaking the cycle of crime by
assisting prisoners, parolees as well as at risk youth, to change
behaviors and attitudes which lead to imprisonment and to rebuild their
lives.” As you can well
imagine, meeting this goal requires persistence and many hands.
The
backbone of our organization is the volunteers.
It takes many volunteers to conduct and attend the prison and
ex-offender groups, to send our mailings,
to help with the Christmas cards and family outreach, and meet the many
and varied needs of the Cephas House.
We can’t do it without them.
Whether you yearn to connect with others person to person or like to work in the background, you too can make a difference! Getting involved is easy as emailing or calling about your interest. We will take it from there.
Cephas Groups
Cephas groups are held both in and out of prison almost every day of the week and are completely staffed by volunteers. The goal of each group is to help participants to live their lives in positive ways. The conversation is open, honest, personally directed and involves no teaching, preaching or philosophizing. Through the sharing of personal experiences and insights, participants heal and help one another to healthier, more honest lives. If you are people oriented and not afraid of sharing yourself, the groups can be a great way for you to connect with others (as well as with yourself!) and to make a real difference in someone’s life.
Cephas
House
Our
Residences need volunteers for regular jobs that include cooking, helping
with staffing, and mentoring the residents if you have an appropriate
skill to share. Occasionally,
there is need for gardening, light carpentry,
paint and fix-up skills as well.
Mailings etc.
Cephas
sends out calendars and Christmas cards to inmates and ex-offenders and
quarterly newsletters and appeals to our supporters.
We need volunteers to help with the mailings.
We also silk screen print the Christmas cards we send on a Saturday
or Sunday afternoon in late summer/early autumn.
This is a fun project requiring
many hands. Talent is not
required although some aptitude helps.
Angel
Tree
In the Fall, Cephas collaborates with Prison Fellowship by
promoting Angel Tree. The
program connects Church communities with families of inmates living in
their area and asks that they provide Christmas gifts for the children on
behalf of the incarcerated parent. Church
members are asked to provide two gifts—one clothing, one toy—to the
children. It is a great
opportunity for Church communities to remember the least among us and to
evangelize
To find out more about volunteering, call 716-856-6131 in Buffalo or
585-546-7472.
