FCCS Volunteers Comfort, Care for Children during Crisis

As a volunteer in Franklin County Children Services’ Crisis Center, Michalle DiGiovine fondly recalls dining on “pretend food” and playing “restaurant” with a promising culinary staff of five young children as they tried out recipes prepared on a plastic range. 

“It felt good that they could come to me - a stranger - to pretend and laugh a little,” she said, remembering how she connected with the youngsters, all the under the age of 10, who had just endured an extremely traumatic experience at home.

As January is National Mentoring Month, it’s a great time to recognize the Crisis Center volunteers who help protect children by allowing them to escape from tumultuous situations for a time and feel safe and cared for. 

Mentors and volunteers play an important role at FCCS in surrounding children who come into the agency’s care with kindness and support, letting children know they are not alone. It’s part of the agency’s strategy to protect the “whole” child - mind, body, and heart. 

A place to come when home isn’t a safe space, the FCCS Crisis Center stretches across several rooms at the agency’s 4071 E. Main Street location. Children are often brought to the center by law enforcement and arrive hungry, needing a bath or new clothing, extremely frightened, or simply uneasy. 

The Center includes a dining area, bathing rooms, laundry, a storeroom stocked with clothing and other supplies, and a playroom filled with toys, books, activities, and caring adults. FCCS staff are there to care for children 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but they can use additional help from volunteers.  

According to Social Service Aide Corinne Metcalfe, who came to the agency more than 19 years ago as a Crisis Center volunteer: “Volunteers help in many ways, but we especially need them to spend time with children when we’re busy. We can have up to 12 children at one time. There are often large sibling groups or multiple infants and toddlers. It can be a lot.”

Staff in FCCS’ Volunteers and Mentors department recruit and coordinate Crisis Center volunteers. Currently, 20 volunteers support the Center on a rotating basis. 

Ms. DiGiovine has volunteered at the Center every Monday during the past year, ready to help in any way. Her shift might include stocking food, preparing baths or showers, and delousing children. On another, she might find herself assembling a play tent, coloring with a preschooler, or trying to soothe a crying infant.

“Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference between Michalle and another staff member. She does a little bit of everything. She’s invaluable,” said Corey Leftridge, who supervises FCCS’ Visitation team.

Volunteering in the Crisis Center was a perfect fit for DiGiovine, who wanted to fill some free time when her youngest daughter went to college. She sees her volunteer time as a difficult but much-needed service. 

“This can be a sad place,” she said. “But I’m glad it’s here, and it’s worth it for me to be here.”

Ms. Metcalfe agrees. “It’s so important that these kids get the love and attention they need during a bad time.”

National Mentoring Month

The Crisis Center can always use more help. “We would like more volunteers available, especially people who can be on-call during busy times,” said Volunteer Coordinator Jujuana McClean. “We ask them to commit to volunteering at least twice a month, but helping more often is really appreciated.”

National Mentoring Months is a perfect time to learn more about volunteering at FCCS. The Crisis Center Volunteer program is one of the agency's five mentoring programs. 

Save the date for FCCS’s annual Make a Difference Night, slated for January 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at 855 W. Mound St. During the event, you can learn about all the ways to volunteer and mentor at FCCS and make a difference in a child’s life.

For more information, contact fccsvolunteers@fccs.us or call 614-275-2690.