Volunteering with Special Needs and Differently-Abled Individuals in New York (and New Jersey!)

Help everyone in our community to live our best lives

People with developmental disabilities seek the same community inclusion as everyone else. By partnering with local organizations, you can support their journey—from children and youth activities to helping them find jobs and guiding them through the transition from school to adulthood. If you’re passionate about fostering inclusion, there’s a meaningful way for you to get involved.

A few options to consider are described below. Search on Samaritan Scout to find even more volunteer opportunities.

Here are a few organizations in New York offering volunteering opportunities that help people with disabilities and special needs

(If you’re looking to help people in New Jersey, read this!)

Power Of We! offers accessible enrichment programs for children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Volunteers lead activities and help behind-the-scenes.

The Integrated Athletic Initiative provides Quality Sports Instruction, Teams, Events, and Leagues that bridge the gap between underserved, special needs, and mainstream youth and young adults. Volunteers donate “time and manpower” to support participants and events.

Volunteer at the Queens Centers for Progress office, events, or programs. 1500+ people of all ages receive services including education, therapy, job training, day programs, advocacy, housing, and healthcare.

Families Helping Families provides resources and recreation to children with special needs and their families.

“We are always looking for high school volunteers to assist us in supervising the children during FHF family events.”

Volunteering with St. Francis Friends promotes the well-being of 300 formerly-homeless residents who are living with serious mental illness. You can “teach skills, share interests, serve holiday meals…work behind the scenes to help the operation run smoothly.”

Another source for local volunteering can be found through New York State’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.

Volunteers working with people with developmental disabilities through OPWDD’s local offices can take part in a host of activities from community events, such as sports and concerts, to a quiet day reading or doing puzzles….and you’d be interacting with people in your community – your neighbors.

The rewards are boundless – both for you and the people with developmental disabilities you are teamed-up with.

To volunteer through local OPWDD offices, look up your region on this page and call or email the contact information provided.

2000+ Opportunities to Volunteer throughout New York!

Check Out Scout’s Search

Using the Samaritan Scout search platform, you can write keywords or select filters such as ’cause’, ‘skill’, location radius, and minimum age. No other website or search engine gives you such an easy, comprehensive lay-of-the-land of volunteer opportunities near you.

And in Jersey…

Just over the bridge in New Jersey, Scout has uncovered ways to help individuals with disabilities live their lives to the fullest. A few examples:

South Orange, NJ

Jespy House volunteers play a vital role, supporting staff in enabling adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to achieve their full potential and lead independent lives.

Sharing the Arts enhance the lives of individuals with special needs through performing arts! “Pre-teen through college-age volunteers serve as assistants, demonstrators, mentors and friends in the class.

Glen Rock and Ridgewood, NJ

West Deptford, NJ

The Arc Gloucester empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to achieve their highest potential through advocacy, education and quality services. Volunteer in the office, thrift shop, events, or programs.

Shining Stars **volunteers help our young “special needs and neurotypical performers come together in a dazzling display of choreography and teamwork – a culmination of four months of rehearsals.”**7 different counties in NJ, HQ Cranford

Livingston, NJ

Friendship Circle welcomes volunteers in grades 6+: “Committing to just a few hours each week as a volunteer, you can change the life of a child by doing the things you already enjoy – playing games and sports, drawing, listening to music and more.”

More possibilities for volunteers wishing to support individuals with special needs or disabilities in New Jersey can be found here.