Volunteers are an important component of the Child Life program.   They assist Child Life Specialists by providing age-appropriate recreational activities to hospitalized children and teens.  Many of the pediatric patient families whom we deal with are facing life threatening illnesses and critical situations.   Often these children spend a lot of time in the hospital.  Because of this, consistent caregivers are an essential part of treatment.  The following guidelines have been structured to ensure our commitment to consistent caregivers.

• Prospective volunteers must commit to at least 6 months or 1 semester of college.  Although, many volunteers choose to stay much longer!
• Inpatient Unit:   Monday-Friday 8:30 am-12:30pm and 6:00pm-9:00pm, Saturday-Sunday 9am-12 noon.   
• Outpatient Specialty Area:  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00am-11:30am and Noon-2:30pm
• Potential volunteers must be able to commit to the same day and time period each week.   If your schedule is unclear at this time, please feel free to contact us at a later date.
• Time periods fill up very quickly and therefore some days and times may not be available. 

If your interest and schedule coincide with the above guidelines, please visit the volunteer web site and complete the volunteer application which will be forwarded to Sue Espenshade in the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Center Volunteer office.