Bridge to Basics VolunteersWithinReach is a non-profit that makes the connections that all Washington families need to be healthy. As a volunteer, you will be joining our AmeriCorps members out in the community, at food banks and Department of Social and Health Services offices, to assist people primarily with their food and health needs.
The work our AmeriCorps members do includes screening people for benefit assistance and educating them about their options, connecting people to other community resources, application assistance, and follow-up. You will be able to assist with many of these facets and play a significant role in making WithinReach’s work successful. If you are interested in connecting with people in a meaningful way, gaining familiarity with a wide array of community resources, problem-solving, and gaining an understanding about barriers faced and navigated by people in your community, then you should consider becoming a WithinReach volunteer! |
History |
The first ACAvengers + WithinReach Bridge to Basics volunteer cohort was formed in Winter of 2015. These 5 individuals volunteered for a total of over 60 hours at a wide range community sites across the greater Seattle area, and assisted clients with getting screened for Affordable Care Act programs, learning about health insurance, applying for food and transportation assistance, and more.
|
Cohort 1 (2015) |
Christina Meredith, UW School of Social Work
Han Yu Stephanie Liou, UW School of Medicine Julie Kranseler, UW School of Medicine Mercy Hoang-Nguyen, UW School of Pharmacy Suzanne Bensinger, UW School of Social Work |
Positive Feedback from WithinReach |
"[Our volunteer] today at Renton CSO and she was beyond amazing! She was not only hitting up all the folks in the waiting room talking about WR’s services but she was also able to translate a conversation in Vietnamese that led to a woman getting Pregnancy Medical who was not yet a citizen. This conversation was much easier with [the ACAvengers volunteer] and I am so thankful she volunteered."
|
Positive Feedback from Volunteers |
"I was able to screen a client using the income and residency guidelines we had discussed in training, who I then deemed eligible for WA Apple Health/QHP and handed her off to [the WithinReach AmeriCorps member] to go through the WA Health Plan Finder... Since this client was someone who was quite young and had never been insured, she was extremely excited to learn that she would potentially be able to get free or very low-cost insurance, and seemed to really appreciate all the information and assistance we had provided, so it was definitely a positive experience overall."
|