Post-graduate service with Christian Appalachian Project
Photo: Seth Willard
“I have never been this blessed in my life. No, I’m not making my millions, but I have a nice house to live in with everything I could possibly need provided for me: bedding, food, and an amazing family of co-volunteers. I live in a community that challenges and prospers me both personally and spiritually. I serve a humble, gracious, and generous group of elderly who are not only helping me grow and become a stronger Christian, but are also introducing me to their culture, their history, and their life.”–Elderly Services volunteer
More than just a job–a chance to make a difference
Each year, thousands of recent college and high school graduates dedicate a year to post-graduate service. These individuals are not “taking a year off,” they are dedicating their time to enriching communities, growing in faith and serving the poor as Christ taught us.
Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) relies on these young men and women to help us serve the poor and marginalized in eastern Kentucky. Though CAP does not set an upper age limit on long-term (12 months or longer) volunteers, a significant percentage of our volunteers are recent high school or college graduates. A post-graduate volunteer with CAP can apply to a number of service programs tackling the issues of substandard housing, hunger, education, domestic violence and more. In addition to serving 40 hours a week, long-term volunteers are invited to make a commitment to intentional Community and Spirituality through shared meals and devotions.
Benefits
Long-term volunteers receive a multitude of benefits from their service time, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Immersion in a new culture
- Living in intentional Christian community
- Valuable job-related experience
Even though volunteers receive many intangible benefits, it is important to note that making a long-term commitment can be a significant financial sacrifice. CAP offers the following benefits to long-term volunteers to help make volunteering more affordable:
- Room and board
- Monthly stipend
- Health insurance
- Potential student loan deferment
- Potential AmeriCorps Award
**** Important Tax Information**** Any long-term volunteer receiving a stipend or other benefit(s) such as health insurance, room and board and any other monies that are paid on the volunteer’s behalf by CAP will receive an IRS form 1099 from CAP by January 31 of the following year.
Even though you may not directly receive any money for some of these benefits, they are paid on your behalf by CAP. They will be reported to the IRS as non-employee taxable income. This generally can amount to several hundred dollars or more in income tax and/or social security tax, which is the volunteer’s responsibility to pay. CAP is not able to help with this added tax liability and recommends that all applicants consult a professional tax advisor about the impact this may have on their personal taxes. In many cases it may be advisable that quarterly tax estimate payments be paid.
Join us
Photo: Christina Amenta
We’re looking for people passionate about serving God by serving the least among us. To become a long-term CAP volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:
- Minimum age of 18 years old (21 for positions requiring driving)
- Complete a volunteer application, including a complete driving records check, three personal references and a national background check
- Be personally interviewed by CAP Volunteer Program staff and service program managers
- Pass a drug screening upon arriving at CAP to begin your service
- Driver’s license and a good driving record for most positions
We are looking for volunteers who are dependable, flexible, emotionally mature, self-starting, sensitive to other cultures, religions, etc., able to live in community, have a sense of humor and have a desire to serve others. We can teach the particular skills needed to perform in your service position, what we can’t teach is a compassionate heart and a passion for our mission.
Want to learn more? Request an application packet or sign up for our monthly e-newsletter today!
