Thank you for thinking of Wayside Waifs as the place to donate your time. The success of our Volunteer Program is not only measured by the dedication of time given by our remarkable volunteers, but by the selfless acts they contribute to make life better for homeless companion animals.
You will find getting involved at Wayside Waifs to be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Two orientations are offered each month, excluding December. We are able to accommodate up to 30 new applicants in each session.
Are you looking to complete service hours for your school or organization? Take a look at our Teen Service Program and Corporate and Group Service Projects. Our regular volunteer program asks for a minimum commitment of 30 hours, three months of weekly schedules.
For more information about helping, please send us an email or contact us at 816-986-4431.
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Here are some ways volunteers help us meet our Mission and provide care for our animals!
During a volunteer's first three month at shelter, these are the opportunities available.
Volunteers help the Canine Care Team with a variety of tasks. These include cleaning and sanitizing kennels, picking up and distributing blankets and toys, and providing food and water to dogs. These volunteers may also be asked to help get housebroken dogs out for potty breaks.
Volunteers support the Feline Care Team with a variety of tasks. These include cleaning and sanitizing kennels, picking up and distributing blankets and toys, and providing food and water.
This position varies by department and usually involves computer skills.
Wayside participates in mobile adoptions, nonprofit fairs, and hosts two large fundraisers every year. Events would not be possible without volunteer support.
Our Teen Service Program has been specifically designed for teens looking to complete service hours. This program is ideal for completing service hours required by schools, teen groups, and other civic organizations. Each group must consist of 4-10 people, age 16 or older, who plan to donate their time together. Teens completing this program will be fully trained volunteers and are encouraged to continue volunteering at Wayside Waifs.
Upon receipt of your Teen Service Program Inquiry, you will be contacted to discuss training, orientation and service dates. At orientation, each person will be asked to complete a Volunteer Application.
This is not for court-ordered community service
Corporate and group opportunities at Wayside Waifs include: special events, groundskeeping and building maintenance, and various other special projects throughout the year. Groups can be as small as three and as large as 20, depending on the current needs of the shelter. Groups interested should complete the Project Request Form to learn more about available opportunities. Our needs are continually changing, and we will typically know at the beginning of each month what group activities are available. Because special training is required to work with shelter animals, corporate and group activities do not include animal related activities. Individuals interested in working with the animals should complete an Adult Inquiry and plan to attend orientation and applicable training classes.
All members of the group must be at least 16 years old. Groups with participants under the age of 16 should contact our Humane Education department about opportunities, and are encouraged to participate in the Service Projects listed below.
Would you like to learn more about Wayside Waifs, and how your company can help homeless animals in the Kansas City area? A Wayside team member would be delighted to come to your organization to host a Lunch and Learn. We will introduce you to all of the great things happening at Wayside and how your company and employees can get involved. While we have many on-site volunteer opportunities, your organization can also benefit the animals by hosting a drive to collect needed shelter items or monetary donations.
If your company is interested in sponsoring a Wayside event, click here for more information.
InquiryThere are a variety of ways you can help the animals who are temporarily housed at Wayside Waifs.
Set your search engine to www.goodsearch.com. Let them know that you are supporting Wayside Waifs. Every search you make sends money to the animals. It is a Yahoo! search engine, so get surfing!
All animals housed at the shelter are provided with something soft to lay and sleep on. New or old, your blankets and towels will help make shelter animals stay more comfortable.
Our wish list identifies items the shelter needs year round. Organize a drive to collect these items and then bring them to the shelter.
Pennies to some are a fortune to us! Encourage everyone you know to donate their pennies (or any other amount) to help the homeless animals!
Although puppy tail wags and kitten kisses are a given, there are many more rewards to volunteering.
Wayside Waifs is committed to edcuation and encourages continued education for volunteers. An average of 10-15 different learning opportunities are offered each year. Listed below are some examples of classes offered regularly at the shelter. Only staff and volunteers are able to participate in these classes, as they are not open to the public.
This is an introductory class to work with our felines. It covers working within a shelter environment, what the cats need from us, and common shelter disease recognition. By catching things like upper respiratory infections fast, we are able to provide better treatment to our animals and reduce the chance that other animals will be exposed.
Cat Behavior is a 2 hour training to teach volunteers and staff how to read cat behavior, body language and signals. You'll learn how to appropriately interact with unfamiliar cats, thus reducing stress and anxiety, and increasing adoptability for long term and stressed cats. This class is available after you have taken the Cat 1 training and is strongly encouraged.
This is our introductory class to work with our canines. It covers working within a shelter environment, what the dogs need from us, and common shelter disease recognition. By catching things like upper respiratory infections fast, we are able to provide better treatment to our animals and reduce the chance that other animals will be exposed.
The Wayside Way is a 1.5 hour training class for staff and volunteers to ensure that we are consistent in the way we communicate with our animals and our adopters. This class provides an overview of Wayside's training philosophy, basic training techniques, and how to interact with a shelter dog. We will also discuss Wayside's commitment to shelter enrichment and the power of play.
Shy and Fearful training is the first half of the Behavior Modification training. This 1 hour class reviews shy and fearful canine body language, how to properly interact with shy and fearful dogs, stress escalation, slow and low training, confidence building exercises and great enrichment ideas for shy and fearful dogs.
Dog Socializers
This position works directly with the dogs, providing them consistent touch, training, and basic needs fulfillment. Volunteers will help dogs by walking them and providing human to canine socialization time. Many volunteers will find they prefer to work with small/large dogs, shy/fearful dogs, high energy dogs, or dogs that are showing signs of stress at the shelter.
Cat Socializers
This position works directly with the cats, providing them consistent touch and basic needs fulfillment. This volunteer role is also about keeping a clean, healthy environment in Cat Adoption.