Join us as a volunteer!

FamiliesFORWARD staff members would love for you to join them as a volunteer in the agency’s programs at Bond Hill Academy of Math and Science Discovery, Carson School, Hays-Porter School and Withrow University High School.

Volunteering is not only rewarding for the students and their families, but the volunteers say the experience is fun and fulfilling for them as well. They meet new friends and learn about Cincinnati Public Schools, which the Ohio School Report Cards show as the highest-performing urban school district in Ohio.

The FamiliesFORWARD Board of Trustees also believes that involving more people in the mission of the agency will result in more children and families receiving high-quality assistance in becoming stronger students, stronger families and, ultimately, stronger communities.

Agency staff members from each of our school sites have presented a working wish list of projects and other volunteer opportunities (see descriptions below). They worked with school leadership and others in their schools to develop some priorities on an ongoing basis to engage volunteers. See GE Aviation volunteers in action at Carson School.

If you are interested in making a donation of supplies for one of the projects below, contact the staff member at the end of the project description to arrange the donation.

If you would like to become a Cincinnati Public Schools/FamiliesFORWARD volunteer who works in a school:

1. Indicate your interest in volunteering by contacting a FamiliesFORWARD staff member at the school. For specific projects listed below, contact the staff member at the end of the project description.

2. Complete an application (which will download to your computer when clicked) and sign a waiver for FamiliesFORWARD.

3. Review information about a background check and security badge at the Cincinnati Public Schools Office of Safety and Security Services.

4. Obtain the appropriate Cincinnati Public Schools background check. Please note: If you will be working with students without a school district employee present, you will need the higher-level background check.

5. Schedule an appointment to obtain a security badge at Cincinnati Public Schools district offices.

If you are interested in tutoring, please visit our tutoring information page.

If you are interested in contributing financially to a project or to the agency, in general, please visit our Donate page to use your credit card.

If you are interested in working as a volunteer on any of the following projects, contact the FamiliesFORWARD staff member listed at the end for each school:

Bond Hill Academy of Math and Science Discovery

Project: Positive school signs

Timeline: Summer / fall / winter of 2021.

Goal: To have positive signs painted or placed in selected areas of the building. 

Desired results: To improve Bond Hill Academy’s positive school culture and encourage students to make good choices. 

Project description: The project is seeking an organization and/or volunteers with the capacity and skills to paint/place positive signs in selected areas of the school building. The project would involve collaborating with the school administration/principal to outline the scope of the project. Some possible areas include bathrooms, the playground, hallways, etc. The school is seeking high-quality designs that add to the beauty and appeal of the building.

Contact: Leslie Henry, resource coordinator, [email protected] or 513.363.7928.

Carson School

Project: Hygiene/clothing closet

Timeline: To be determined.

Desired results: To provide students with uniforms and other clothing items, as well as hygiene products, when needed because of situations that arise at home or at school.

Project description: We have the option of using two spaces within the building. Option one is a large closet space, and option two is the boys and girls locker rooms. We are looking for design, organization and supplies. The supplies needed would be shelving, racks, drawers and labels. The other supplies needed are uniforms of various sizes, preschool through junior high; personal hygiene products; and underclothing. 

Contact: Sheila Jenkins, after-school coordinator, [email protected] or 513.363.9889.

Hays-Porter School

Project: Class mentoring

Timeline: To be determined.

Desired results: To provide students with academic assistance and mentoring. Students having access to career professionals will help expose them to a variety of career paths and will help prepare them for a future beyond the classroom.

Project description: Organizations or groups would adopt each one of Hays-Porter's classes in a mentoring role. Five or six of an organization's employees would commit to visiting a classroom once a month for one to two hours and make occasional presentations, play games or do activities with the students. The employees would also participate in a pen-pal project by writing letters to the students. The mentors and the students also could participate in a field trip at least annually, visiting the organization's work site(s) or taking fun field trips to the zoo or baseball/football/basketball/soccer games, for instance.

Contact: Carmen Daniels, resource coordinator, [email protected] or 513.363.1094.


Project: Hays-Porter & Taft partnership

Timeline: To be determined.

Desired results: Students will have an opportunity to learn about expectations of high school while creating a relationship with an older peer to help them better prepare for the transition into high school.

Project description: Volunteers would assist in creating and executing events two or three times a year with Hays-Porter fifth- and sixth-grade students and Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School students. The events can be in the form of an outdoor field day, indoor retreat or big brother/big sister type of relationship. Many of our students feed into Taft High School after sixth grade, and many times, they are not aware that daily routines and schedules differ from elementary school. Items needed would be food, drinks, journals, supplies and materials for field play.

Contact: Carmen Daniels, resource coordinator, [email protected] or 513.363.1094.

Withrow University High School

Project: Hygiene pantry

Timeline: To be determined.

Desired results: To provide students with hygiene supplies as needed.

Project description: Volunteers would provide organizational skills to ensure constant supplies for our hygiene pantry. Those supplies would include large plastic bins, labels, large Ziploc bags and additional personal hygiene items. Items would be assembled as kits and distributed to students. 

Contact: FamiliesFORWARD Central Office, 513.721.7044.


Project: Community service

Timeline: To be determined.

Desired results: To provide students with exposure to the need for giving of themselves to community service.

Project description: We are seeking leads/connections to community-service projects for Withrow students, as well as follow-through to work as volunteers with students in planning and executing the community-service projects. The school is organizing four community-service project days for the 2021-22 school year and would love to partner with organizations to develop projects in which students can participate in schoolwide community-service days. Connections and input would be invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Contact: FamiliesFORWARD Central Office, 513.721.7044.