Volunteer Policy

Edmundite Missions Volunteers Policy

The emphasis of volunteering at Edmundite Missions is on creating long-term relationships that engender sustained commitment to civil society and the role of individuals and institutions in meeting the needs of the poor within society.

There are three priority categories of volunteers at the Missions.

Education Institutions

The Missions is committed to developing volunteer relationships with educational institutions, especially Catholic schools and universities, where volunteerism is part of an academic curriculum. That program may be related to Catholic social justice, to the role of volunteerism in civil society, or to other elements of social commitment or social problem solving. The site visit to Edmundite Missions should be part of this larger learning environment.

The Missions seeks both to provide students and professors with the experience of volunteering in a setting of disadvantage and to be part of the overall academic learning and personal reflection process. The Missions structures the volunteer experience to fit within the learning purposes and takes an active role in guiding students through those purposes. As appropriate, the Missions will help facilitate research projects of participating professors.

Selma Volunteers

The Missions maintains a roster of local and regional volunteers interested in being part of the programs of the Dr. Michael and Catherine Bullock Community and Recreation Center in Selma and the Good Shepherd Community Center in Mosses. These volunteers are an important part of the Missions community outreach and essential participants in classes and events held at the Community Centers. Individuals are called from the roster for their particular skills and interests as they align with programs offered at the Community Centers.

Individuals and Institutions with Relationships with the Missions

In addition, from time to time, the Missions has volunteer visitors from other parts of the country. The priority is for individuals and/or institutions directly related to the Missions history, programs, or sponsors, such as the Society of St. Edmund. These may include parishioners served by Edmundite priests or individuals who have long been committed to the work of the Missions. Individuals or, less frequently groups, may be approved to work for a maximum of a week at the Missions. Those applying to volunteer from outside the Selma area should understand that there is no public transportation, nor any private car service (including Uber and the like) in this area. Therefore, a personal car will be essential. While the Missions does have a dormitory-like building for volunteer use, priority is for education-group use. Rooms are doubles with a shared bath. Volunteers from outside of Selma can apply via the Missions website.