Charlottesville Area Volunteer Opportunities

Contact Us
Phone Number
Call 434.924.5251

We've grouped volunteer opportunities by service location.

Summer volunteers: See the list of available summer positions.

University Hospital

At our top-ranked hospital serving central Virginia, volunteer opportunities include direct and indirect patient contact.

Escort & Wayfinding

A customer service position for those who like to walk. Volunteers assist patients and families by walking with them to their first destination. Friendly, gregarious people are wanted in this role. Basic wheelchair training provided. 

Hours: Monday - Friday, 3-hour shifts between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Patient Deliveries

Volunteers deliver packages, mail and/or floral arrangements to the patient’s bedside, and may visit if the patient desires. A cheerful personality, exceptional customer service skills and the ability to walk long distances are essential for this role. 

Hours: Monday-Friday afternoon shifts available

Driver, Patient Courtesy Shuttle

Help patients and families navigate across The Link, a corridor between University Hospital and the West Complex, driving a 3-passenger golf cart. A great sit-down job for someone interested in providing great customer service and saving many steps for frail patients. A valid driver’s license is required. 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 3-hour shifts between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Gift Shop

The Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop in the main lobby offers flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, gift items, books and magazines, snack foods, toiletries and sundries. Volunteers run the cash register, stock items and offer excellent customer service. Training is provided. The gift shop is a great place to learn retail. 

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Music for Healing

Soothing music can transform the busy hospital atmosphere into a calmer, more relaxing environment. Volunteer musicians are invited to help create this feeling by playing in our lobby spaces. Audition required. 

Hours: Flexible

Oncology Unit Friendly Visitor and Administrative Support

Volunteers support patients and families during their stay by providing companionship, empathetic listening and a cheerful diversion with shared activities. Provide clerical support for the unit. 

Hours: Flexible, including evenings and weekends 

OR Procedure Check in Area/Surgical Admissions Suite

Volunteers escort patients and their companions from the check-in area to assigned rooms in pre-op or post-op and escort visitors back to the lobby or lounge. Assist Surgical Admissions Suite (SAS) staff with errands (e.g., picking up prescriptions from the outpatient pharmacy, retrieving and delivering patient belongings, and other organizational tasks such as stocking supplies, making packs, dressing clean stretchers, and others that meet the non-medical needs of patients).

Hours: Monday-Friday; 5-9 a.m. or 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; substitutes also needed

MERCI Program

The Medical Equipment Recovery of Clean Inventory Program (MERCI) shares our supply abundance with others in the world who need medical supplies, while preventing unused items from going to the landfill. Volunteers sort, pack and prepare a large variety of clean surplus medical supplies from UVA operating rooms, clinics and units for redistribution to medically needy areas. 

Hours: Thursdays only, flexible between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Hospital Auxiliary

Numerous volunteer opportunities exist to support the Auxiliary’s work to benefit the Health System, including:

  • Ongoing activities such as serving on the Board of Directors, writing for the newsletter, helping with the finances or serving on a committee
  • Annual events such as the Lights of Love holiday tree or Daffodil Days, which require both leaders and helpers
  • Seasonal events such as book, jewelry and other vendor sales that support the Auxiliary’s philanthropy budget

Inpatient Therapy Assistant   

Individuals who plan to apply to Physical Therapy School (Pre PT) may apply for this role. Volunteers assist therapists with delivering therapy interventions to adult inpatients under the therapist’s guidance, i.e., retrieval and set up of equipment, assistance with gait training, wheelchair transport, and other duties to assist the therapist. Must be able to stand, push, pull and lift 25 pounds. 

Hours: Monday-Friday morning and afternoon shifts

UVA Medical Center Staff: Need Volunteers for a Special Event?

Submit your request online.

You can also request junior volunteers or other volunteers for ongoing support in your area. See how to request (intranet so only available to staff)

volunteers creating flower arrangements for patients

Flowers for Patients  

Volunteers receive donated flowers, turn them into beautiful arrangements, and then take them upstairs to the nurse stations for patients who would not otherwise have flowers.

Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center

At our nationally recognized cancer center, patients receive all the treatment they need in one central location. Volunteers provide support and comfort to patients in their battle against cancer. 

Flourish Boutique

A positive image boutique designed to help those facing cancer look and feel their best. Help patients to feel more vibrant, confident and better able to face the challenges of cancer. Volunteers run the cash register, stock items and offer excellent customer service. The boutique is a great place to learn retail.

Hours: Monday-Friday morning and afternoon shifts 

Infusion Hospitality

Volunteers provide hospitality by serving refreshments, comfort care items, empathic listening and practical support to patients receiving intravenous medications. Need substitutes too.

Hours: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m., 2 to 4-hour shifts

Clinic and Waiting Room Hospitality

Volunteers provide refreshments and empathetic listening to patients and their caregivers in the many waiting rooms of the Cancer Center. Great opportunity to work in pairs.

Hours: Monday-Friday morning and afternoon shifts 

UVA Community Oncology 

The locations in Augusta, Pantops, and Breast Care Center-Pantops specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care of adult patients with cancer and blood disorders.

Infusion Hospitality

Volunteers provide hospitality by serving refreshments, comfort care items, empathic listening and practical support to patients receiving intravenous medications. 

Hours: Monday - Friday, 3-hour shifts between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Harmonies for Healing

Volunteer musicians play instrumental music in a corridor to benefit patients in nearby rooms. Music creates a pleasant and healing environment for patients, families and staff, providing comfort in a challenging environment.

Hours: Flexible, including evenings and weekends

Emergency Department

This level I Trauma Center provides treatment for approximately 61,000 patients annually. Volunteers support our patients and families during their stay.

ED Clinic

Volunteers assist staff and patients in the patient care area of the Emergency Department. Duties include stocking supplies and making comfort rounds on stable patients. 

Hours: Daily, 3-hour shifts between 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

ED Lobby

Liaison volunteers staff the waiting room in the Emergency Department, supporting families of patients receiving emergency treatment. Volunteers track patients' progress, facilitate communication with medical staff, direct families and patients to hospital and community resources, offer support as families await news of their loved ones and escort authorized visitors to the patient’s bedside; a busy location, suitable for high-energy volunteers.

Hours: Daily, 3-hour shifts between 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Volunteer Opportunities at Individual Locations

ALS Clinic

Provide support to patients, families and staff on two Thursdays per month, assisting, escorting and transporting patients to the clinic room. Give exceptional customer service, administrative assistance and teamwork. 

Dialysis Clinic

Volunteers provide support and companionship to patients during treatment.

Location: UVA Medical Center West Complex and Zion Crossroads

Hours: Flexible

Hospitality House

This facility provides close, low-cost lodging for patients and families traveling far from home. Volunteers register new guests, show them to their rooms and provide friendly visiting and companionship. 

Location: 205 14th St.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 5-7 or 8 p.m.

Outpatient Surgery Center

Volunteers meet and greet patients who are having surgery, escort to the assigned surgery suite and ensure communication with family while the surgery is happening. Volunteers support patients and families throughout their day. Substitutes also needed. 

Location: Battle Building

Hours: Flexible, between 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

Pet Therapy

Working through Therapy Dogs International, Therapy Dog Incorporated or Pet Partners/Delta Society, certified dogs and their owner/handlers visit patients in a variety of locations throughout the health system. Dogs must be certified before visiting the hospital. 

Hours: Flexible

volunteers in the Children's Hospital

UVA Health Children’s Hospital

At UVA Health Children’s Hospital, children and their families are special. They receive special care in a warm, friendly environment specially designed for them. 

Inpatient Pediatric Bedside Visiting

Help staff lead educational and play activities for children. In addition to group activities, volunteers may make bedside visits to read a story, play a game, or give parents a break. Evening and weekend volunteers spend their time making bedside visits to pediatric patients and their families.

Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.-noon, 1-3 p.m., 6-8 p.m.

Clinic Welcome Greeter

Volunteers meet and greet patients and families (who are waiting in the clinic waiting room area). They offer various age-appropriate items to help ease the wait of a stressful medical appointment. These individual activities help children, parents, and siblings relax and promote a positive experience.   

Location: Battle Building

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-noon, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Yoga

This seasonal program adapts traditional yoga teachings to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. The approach is non-competitive and provides a foundation for building trust and self-confidence. Volunteers assist the yoga instructor with various yoga activities as directed. No yoga skills are required. Feel free to call and have a conversation about how your talents can make a difference for our patients. 

Location: Battle Building

Hours: Wednesday, 3:45-6:15 p.m. | Seasonal 4-week sessions 

Therapy Assistant

Help pediatric patients receiving physical and occupational therapy with patient care activities and routine activities. An excellent opportunity to observe and learn about pediatric therapy services.

Location: Battle Building

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (shifts vary)