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How To Visit

Step 1 - Choose the Facility and Setup the Visit
Call a facility and ask for the Activities Director or Volunteer Department. Introduce yourself and why you are calling. Pick a time and date that works for the facility and the volunteers you are working with. If possible, plan your visit right on the day of the holiday. Get directions to the facility, find out if there are any restrictions, are children allowed, can you bring pets and is food allowed.
Download and print The Holiday Project Visit Report and Participation Sign in Sheets here.
Team captains please complete this report on the day of your visit and have all participants complete all of the requested information on the participation sign in sheet prior to your visit.
Following your visit, please mail or fax it to: The Holiday Project 3330-1 Vincent Rd. Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, or fax:925-932-8126.
Step 2- Invite and Confirm Volunteers
Invite everyone you know to join in- friends, family members, group members, etc. Ask people to invite their friends. For every 10 residents at the facility, enroll one volunteer. Make up a flyer with information visitors need to know - date, time place, directions, parking and where to meet at the facility.
Step 3 - Prepare the Visit
Put together a materials packet with supplies - name tags, liability release forms, pens, song sheets. If you want to bring gifts, check with the facility to ensure the gifts are appropriate. (This is where creativity and love come in. Hand made cards or gifts are great) Arrive first at the facility and let the facility know you are there to set up. Have an opening meeting to prepare the volunteers; thank them for coming and let them know what a wonderful gift they are sharing with others. Let volunteers know they are there to visit with everybody and if they meet people who may seem incommunicative, they should discover other ways to communicate such as holding hands and offering hugs. If you have gifts, cards or song sheets, distribute them to the volunteers. Let the volunteers know the time to be back for the completion meeting. Allow one to two hours for the actual visit. At the end of the visit hold a completion meeting to give volunteers the opportunity to share about their experience of the visit. Include acknowledging them for coming and invite them to share their experience.
Step 4- Manage the Logistics of the Visit
Arrive first at the facility and let the facility know you are there to set up. Have an opening meeting to prepare the volunteers; thank them for coming and let them know what a wonderful gift they are sharing with others. Let volunteers know they are there to visit with everybody and if they meet people who may seem incommunicative, they should discover other ways to communicate such as holding hands and offering hugs. If you have gifts, cards or song sheets, distribute them to the volunteers. Let the volunteers know the time to be back for the completion meeting. Allow one to two hours for the actual visit. At the end of the visit hold a completion meeting to give volunteers the opportunity to share about their experience of the visit. Include acknowledging them for coming and invite them to share their experience.

Step 5 - Complete the Visit
After the visit, send a thank you note or postcard to every volunteer. Create a mailing list of volunteers to invite them on another visit in the future.