Volunteers in Government of Responsibility (VIGOR)
Director: Clarice T. Kirkland, MSW, GSW
Deputy Director: Louise Gray-Brumfield, MA
Coordinator, Nicholas Solari, MPA
Tulane AmeriCorps VISTA
Phone: 504.658.4015
Fax: 504.658.4002
1300 Perdido St, Rm 1W09
New Orleans, LA 70112
Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday – Thursday
In 1973, a group of community leaders and city employees began the City of New Orleans first volunteer program under Mayor Moon Landrieu. Throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s VIGOR regularly was honored by national volunteer programs as a successful model of utilizing community members in City government. At its peak, over 1,000 volunteers were actively involved in hundreds of activities. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the necessary reductions in the City workforce included the VIGOR coordinator. Through a partnership with Tulane University’s Center for Public Service and the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program, the Mayor’s Office of Public Advocacy entered into a three-year agreement to provide a full-time VIGOR coordinator.
The VIGOR office is the oversight and historical record keeper of volunteers within all City government departments. Often, departments recruit and find activities independent of VIGOR and in these cases a department contact is assigned to act as a liaison with the VIGOR office to ensure that an accurate record of all volunteer activity is maintained for the historical narrative of volunteerism within the City of New Orleans.
Opportunities for Citizens
Long-term Citizen Volunteers:
The VIGOR office has long-term volunteer opportunities within departments as well as for special events. Long-term volunteers typically work along side City Hall staffers at a minimum of 10 hours per month, although many commit to much more. Volunteers have served in a variety of departments from the City Council to the Recreation Department. Interested citizens may also be trained to give City Hall tours.
Special Event Volunteers:
Special events hosted by the City and the Mayor’s Office always call for volunteers. Citizens volunteer at annual events like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest as well as one-time events like Super Bowls and national conventions.
Hurricane Evacuation Volunteers:
In the event of Category 3 or higher storm, 200 citizens will be needed to help in the City Assisted Evacuation Plan (CAEP). Duties include distributing water, food, or first-aid to evacuees, as well as assisting with crowd control, children, elderly citizens, and those with special needs. Volunteers guide evacuees to registration areas and direct them to transportation. Volunteers also provide information to CAEP evacuees who may have questions. Volunteers also help unload and load baggage from RTA buses to the Coach Buses citizens.
Volunteers will work one or more shifts between 60 hours before landfall and 24 hours before landfall and must commit to attending a walk-through and training session.
Volunteer Police Officers:
The New Orleans Police department also sponsors two programs for citizens to participate with the NOPD. The NOPD Crisis Unit Technicians is a group of volunteers who work a minimum of 12 hours a month on the streets assisting officers with calls than involve a person having a mental health crisis. These volunteers will attend the scene, assess the situation and provide the appropriate intervention that will help in alleviating the crisis. Volunteers put in over 1800 hours of service to the department per quarter. Volunteers go through an intensive training process before being able to patrol.
The NOPD reserve unit typically has about 100 active volunteer police officers who patrol the streets. Many of these are retired police officers who like to remain engaged in the City, but a percentage are every-day citizens who go through the police academy like any other cadet. Reserve unit members, once through the academy, must serve a minimum number of hours per month to remain active.
Volunteer EMS technicians:
The EMS department sponsors EMS technicians who are licensed as EMT-Basics and looking for avenues to participate wit the City. EMS volunteers often supplement the staff during special events and accompany EMS crews on daily street routes.
STUDENTS
Internships:
Summer 2010
VIGOR is pleased to announce it will soon begin accepting internship applications for the Summer 2010 Semester. Qualified undergraduate and graduate students from across the country are encouraged to apply when the application is made available.
Interns work in all facets of City Hall. Previous interns have worked in a variety of roles and capacities in various departments and offices, including the Mayor’s Office, City Council, City Finance Department, Department of Parks and Parkways, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, Office of Recovery and Development, and the City Attorney’s Office.
Internships are NOT work-study positions. The application process is competitive, and once accepted, interns are expected to play an active and vital role in their offices or departments. Previous interns have worked on everything from policy revision and research to special event planning and fundraising. Internships with the City of New Orleans truly offer students the opportunity to broaden their education as well as put theoretical knowledge obtained in the classroom to work in a professional environment.
Although work schedules and hours are set at the discretion of department or office supervisors, interns typically work between 10 – 20 hours a week over the summer. All internship positions are unpaid; however, many students use their internship experiences to fulfill college course credit requirements.
VIGOR hopes to have a full list of all available internship positions for this upcoming summer posted by the end of March or early April. Please continue to check this site for updates. In the mean time, if you have any questions about the internship program, please do not hesitate to contact Nick Solari, our VIGOR program coordinator:
Nick Solari
nrsolari@cityofno.com
Fall 2010 and Spring 2011
Available internships for Fall 2010 Semester and Spring 2011 Semester will be announced at a later date.