Before you apply to be a part of this vital team, please review the qualifications and commitment requirements to ensure that you are a good fit for our program.
Eligibility and Requirements
To ensure the safety of our patients, staff and volunteers, all volunteers must meet the following requirements:
- Live within 50 miles of the hospital.
- Be at least 18 years of age or older and not enrolled in high school.
- Make at least a consecutive eight-month commitment, which includes three or more four-hour shifts each month.
- Pass a criminal background check. St. Jude does not accept volunteers performing court-ordered community volunteer service hours.
- Vaccinations required to volunteer at St. Jude: Flu vaccination during flu season (September-April) and annually; Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); Varicella (chicken pox); Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis); Tuberculosis (TB) screening and clearance.
- All of our volunteer opportunities will require some walking, standing, bending and light lifting for 2-4-hour shifts.
- Communicate effectively in English
For more detailed information, please see our FAQs.
In addition to the qualifications above, volunteers should:
- Always exhibit a positive attitude and a sincere interest in the hospital and its mission of helping children.
- Be comfortable with the idea or image of a child with a catastrophic illness.
- Treat their volunteer responsibilities with the same respect that they do work obligations.
- Enjoy working in new situations, taking on different duties or helping in additional ways based on the needs of the people around them.
- Understand that volunteering is not a stepping stone toward a paid position with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
- Commit to making repeated trips to St. Jude to complete volunteer orientation, medical checks and training before actual volunteer shifts begin. Medical checks and training may total as many as 4 trips to the hospital.
Make sure we're a fit for each other
If any of the following statements apply to you, it is possible that our organization may not meet your goals as a volunteer or the needs of the St. Jude Volunteer Program.
- I hope that my volunteer work will lead to a job at St. Jude.
- I want to use my volunteer position to improve my English-speaking skills.
- I hope to meet other people like me and expand my social network.
- I want to gain clinical experience, hopefully by shadowing or assisting a member of the hospital's clinical staff.
- I hope volunteering my time will help me work through the loss of a loved one.
- I hope to share my personal experience with others.
- I am "in between jobs" and am hoping to use my free time to be of service.
- I need to be busy all the time.
If you fit these criteria, we invite you to consider serving our patients in other equally valuable ways that still demand a significant time commitment on your part.
Ready to volunteer?
Explore Other Ways to Help
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Blood Donor Center
Help support a child through a critical time in their treatment at St. Jude by donating blood or blood products at the Blood Donor Center.
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Toys, Gift Cards and Supplies Needed for St. Jude Patients
Give needed items to children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases at St. Jude. Your donations provide supplies for individual and group activities, stocking hospital playrooms, and providing gifts to patients.
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Charity events
Attend or start your own charity event to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and our patients.
