Guided Practicum in Administration of Human Services

Agency Report



























Jaquaya Thomas
June 26, 2014

Mission

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international congregation of Roman Catholic
religious women founded in 1839 by Saint Jeanne Jugan. They serve the elderly poor in over 30
countries around the world. Their Mission is to offer the neediest elderly of every race and
religion a home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied
with dignity until God calls them to himself. Their Vision is to contribute to the culture of life
by nurturing communities where each person is valued, the solidarity of the human family and
the wisdom of age are celebrated, and the compassionate love of Christ is shared with all. Their
Values are reverence, family spirit, humble service, compassion and stewardship. Reverence is
for the sacredness of human life and for the uniqueness of each person, especially those who are
the poorest and/or the weakest. This is reflected in their care that is holistic and designed to fit
the needs of the individual person. Family spirit is a spirit of joyful hospitality embracing all
with open arms, hearts and minds; fostering participation in the life of the home and rejecting all
forms of discrimination. Humble Service is the desire to raise others up and to put their needs
before our own; an appreciation of simple, everyday tasks, experiences and being humble means
accomplishing our work. Compassion is empathy for sharing the weaknesses and sufferings of
others; eagerness to relieve pain in all its forms and to make the elderly happy. Stewardship is
the recognition that life and all other goods are gifts from God and should be used responsibly
for the good of all; trust in Gods Providence and the generosity of others to provide for our
needs; just compensation for our partners; a spirit of gratitude and sharing.
The Little Sisters of the Poor live a vowed life

Demographic Information

Policies and Procedures

Structure

Governance

Funding

Relationship to other agencies

Strengths, Trends and Challenges

Interns Role

As an intern with Little Sisters of the Poor, I am required to conduct myself as a
professional paid staff. I work as the Director of Volunteer Services. In my role as Director of
Volunteer Services, I am required to recruit volunteers, conduct volunteer orientation, schedule
volunteers, manage volunteers and work with agency supervisors. Recruiting volunteers consists
of advertising on the website, partnering and networking with local agencies, and sending out
monthly emails of all available volunteer opportunities. All new volunteers have to go through
orientation; which consists of a tour of the facility, an information session, completing an
application and filling out the required paperwork (adult abuse registry, child abuse registry,
harassment policy, policies for the protection of children and youth, confidentiality statement,
orientation checklist, and the sign-in/sign-out log). Scheduling volunteers consists of me
creating a schedule for the month and sending out an email informing all registered volunteers of
opportunities for the upcoming month. The volunteers will either email their availability in
response the message, call in their availability or stop by the Director of Volunteer Services
office to give their availability. When the volunteers availability is received, I add the volunteer
to the schedule in the area specified. If the volunteer emails his or her availability, I always
respond to the message as a confirmation in scheduling. Once the volunteers are scheduled, I
manage the volunteers by making insuring they know their daily assignment and soliciting
feedback from the assignment supervisors. I interact with the other supervisors to make sure the
volunteers are doing what they are supposed to be doing and competing the task they were given.