Volunteer with Operation Breakthrough Volunteers range in age from 8 to 80 and do everything from decorating birthday bags to rocking babies.

All hands matter as we work day in and day out to serve 700 children along with their families 5 days a week. We strive to ensure clean and safe spaces while we provide all types of resources for our families.  Volunteering is a great opportunity to come alongside us to build relationships and leave a meaningful and long lasting impact on our children, parents, and staff members.  We hope you will join us!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES -- Information for 2024

There are two volunteer options to be with our children in our classrooms and/or our MakerCity. All volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. You must sign a release form for a background check and we will request the background check for you. You must have two sets of fingerprints taken as well as attend an orientation. The volunteer coordinator will walk you through the process of getting those fingerprints. See below for information on orientation sign-up.

Early Classroom Volunteer -- Assist teachers in daily classroom activities and routines.  We ask that you commit to a minimum of 12 weeks if you wish to volunteer with our children 6 weeks to 5 years. Shifts are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The early shift - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. is the most needed time slot. See volunteer requirements above. If you are a Classroom Volunteer and have extra time, you can also sign up for a MakerCity shift to help tutor if you like. 

MakerCity Volunteer -- Sign up for shifts for our school-age students in MakerCity. We are looking for tutors to work with our children on math and literacy. These students are ages 5-14. We would ask that you come for a minimum of 2 shifts per month. Shifts are Monday - Friday 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. You will learn how to sign up for shifts during orientation. See volunteer requirements above. 

Robotics: Come help our school-aged children learn to build and program robots and practice competitive missions! Robotics will meet one Saturday a month from 8:30 a.m. - Noon. During competition season, May through December, will meet 2 Saturdays a month. Schedule TBD.

Coding: We need volunteers to help teach our children to code in a variety of different ways. No prior experience in coding? We have an expert on hand to help you assist our school-age students to code. Coding club will be on Wednesdays, 1 time a month - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Frequency will increase closer to competition season, May through December. 

Non-Classroom Volunteers – Serve as an office assistant and help staff with data entry, organization, and planning. We also need volunteers to help in our food pantry, clothing closets or assist with donations. You must be vaccinated, and have an online background check.

Adult Clothing Closet Assistance: We are looking for volunteers to sort and hang clothing for weekly give-aways to parents. Please contact Kelly at volunteer@operationbreakthrough.org to sign up for available shifts. 

GROUP OPPORTUNITIES 

Adopt a Classroom or Neighborhood – Address the needs of a specific classroom or neighborhood and provide donations of needed supplies or larger items, attend field trips, and classroom projects for the teachers and students.   

Sponsor a Donation or Collection Drive – Sponsor a drive for much needed agency items such as non-perishable food items, diapers, paper products, toothpaste/toothbrushes, or hygiene products. Please check with us for our current wish list needs. 

Group Service Projects – Assist in the outdoor classroom and playgrounds by helping with grounds maintenance.  Assist with cleaning, and organizing projects in our facility as needed.  

Lobby “Take Home” Activities – Provide a take home activity for our children as they are heading home from the center.  Create a craft project, coloring activity, or healthy snack pack to hand out to the kids. 

Tour Our Center – Groups are always encouraged to set up a time to tour the Operation Breakthrough facility located in the heart of Kansas City at 31st and Troost.  Please contact at least two weeks prior to your intended visit.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES - On-Call Volunteers
For those who want to volunteer on an as-needed basis, you can look up the opportunities on SignUp Genius. These might be vounteers for 5k races, third-party events, holiday activities or helping at Operation Breakthrough with special needs. Click on the SignUp Genius logo below to see what our needs are. If you have questions, please email Kelly Phelps at volunteer@operationbreakthrough.org.

New Opportunity: One need that we currently have is for 1 or 2 volunteers to help pass out prepackaged food to our parents in our exit lobby. We would like volunteers weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm. Please sign up on the Sign Up Genius below or email Kelly at volunteer@operationbreakthrough.org. 

                                                          

UPCOMING ORIENTATION SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, November 13 - 6 - 8 pm
Friday, November 15 - 10 am - 12 pm
Monday, December 2 - 10 am - 12 pm
Tuesday, December 3 - 6 - 8 pm
Friday, January 10 - 10 am - 12 pm
Wednesday, January 22 - 6 - 8 pm

To register for one of the upcoming orientations, please email Kelly at volunteer@operationbreakthrough.org and let her know which orientation you will be attending. If you need to cancel after you register, please email or call 816-329-5233 and let Kelly know.