Volunteer with the Coalition

The Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County is a community effort to support refugees and asylum seekers who are resettling in our area. The Coalition is primarily made up of volunteers. We could not do our work to welcome and support refugees and asylum seekers without the many people who have shared their time and knowledge. Thank you for considering joining this important community effort.

Current volunteer needs:

• Join the Fundraising Team. The fundraising team works to raise funds to support the project through donations, events and grants.
• Be an Interpreter (Oral). Foreign language speakers are needed to interpret for refugees and asylum seekers in both formal and informal settings. Interpreters are placed on a list and called upon when needed. Currently, we are seeking speakers of Dari, Pashto, Russian, Ukrainian, Haitian-Creole, French, and Mam. All other languages are welcome to be on the list as needs can change unexpectedly.
• Be a Translator (Written).  Volunteers are occasionally needed to translate English-language documents into the native language of a refugee or asylum seeker or vice-versa.
• Be an Advocate. Provide support to a refugee or asylum seeker. Being an advocate requires training (which the Coalition will provide) and a 12-month commitment. For more information about being an advocate, see the job description.
• Moving Furniture. Volunteers needed to move furniture. We especially need people with their own trucks. If you can help, please fill out our Contact form, and we’ll get in touch with you.
• Housing is one of our biggest challenges. Would you be willing to rent to a refugee or asylum seeker on an ongoing basis, or do you have a lead on an affordable rental? If so, please fill out the “Housing” section of our volunteer application form.

Want to volunteer?

Once you complete the brief volunteer application form, your name will be passed on to the team leaders in the areas in which you express interest. However, you may not hear from them unless a need arises for more volunteers in their area. Your information will remain in our database and, should the situation change, we will be in touch with you.