Tell A Friend     Contact Us

Do you want to make a difference in the life of a child? Volunteers at COVE do it everyday. The acronym COVE stands for Court Ordered Visitation and Exchange and the agency’s motto is “Taking the best interest of the child to heart.” The COVE Family Center’s mission is to assist in providing a more stable, predictable and stress-free life for children of families who are estranged and sharing custody of their children in some fashion that is often decreed by the court. The agency is committed to providing supervised visits and exchanges between children and their non-custodial parents.

In the United States today nearly half of all marriages end in divorce and many children are born everyday to unwed mothers. While both parents may not be living with their child, unless the courts say differently, both have a right to take an active role in their child’s life. In many situations, both parents love the child, but have a hard time being civil to each other. That is where COVE steps in. The Family Center provides a private and safe location for children to meet with their non-custodial parent and avoids the potential for parental conflict at these times. COVE also may be used to facilitate the introduction of biological parents to children who have never met that parent. 

COVE volunteers are needed at Custody Exchange visits and also at Supervised Visitation. When a parent is only allowed to visit his or her child(ren) within the presence of another adult, COVE provides the location as well as a volunteer who can be with the visiting parent. This allows the opportunity for a parent to meet in person with a child he/she would not otherwise be allowed to see. 

If you would like to volunteer with COVE, the Family Center is located in the St. Matthews United Methodist Church, 5320 50th Street. During Supervised Visitation, you would be present in the room from one hour to three hours a session while the parent and child are together. A volunteer may read or do quiet paperwork if desired while in the center with the parent and child, and there will always be a staff person on the premises when the volunteer is there. This would be a low-key, sitting job with parking very close to the door. It would not take much of your time, but would allow a child to visit with his mother or father without the presence of parental animosity. In Custody Exchanges volunteers take children from one parent to another and several exchanges take place during the volunteer’s shift. Days and times may be flexible with your schedule. 

“It takes a community to raise a child”—and you can be part of that caring community.


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

QUAIL RIDGE ALZHEIMERS SPECIAL CARE CENTER and other long-term care centers would love to have any musical programs you could present for their enjoyment. Do you play an instrument, sing, dance, etc.? Even though you are not a professional entertainer with a concert quality performance, you would be much appreciated by the residents in these homes. If you are a member of a small group who sings or dances, consider bringing its special talents into the nursing home setting. If you like to perform, you can give joy!

HIGHLAND MEDICAL CENTER, 2412 50th St., would like a volunteer who would enjoy getting some walking exercise while delivering food trays, flowers, mail, etc. to the patients in the hospital. You are particularly needed from 8:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Wednesdays or Fridays or 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Monday. When you work a shift, you also get a free lunch at noon. This is a great group of volunteers with a lot of enthusiasm for their mission—and much appreciated by those who are hospitalized.

HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or Bonne Phillips about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the enrollment form (requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!