Volunteer

In order to serve as a volunteer, you must:

• Hold a valid passport (required for international missions)
• Have approval from your supervisor to attend a mission
• Have the necessary Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Meet participation cost requirements (see question #5 below)

Volunteer positions depend largely on the project. Below are typical volunteer position openings for each Village Service Trip type.

• • Kidney Care Service Trips
    • 6-10 clinical volunteers per mission (nurses, biomeds, patient care technicians)
  • Chronic Disease Prevention Service Trips
    • 6-8 clinical and non-clinical volunteers per trip

All teammates are required to submit an application. Once an application is received, Bridge of Life will review the applicant’s background and skills in relation to upcoming trips. If your skill set is aligned with the needs of a specific project, we will contact you to advance to the next phase of the application process, which includes a 30-minute telephone interview. Lastly, a form will be sent to your supervisor for final approval. Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to every applicant. Please be aware that each mission requires volunteers with a distinct set of skills and expertise. The volunteer positions that we fill respond directly to the specific needs of our program. However, we retain all applications, and prior to each Village Service Trip, review the applications we have on file.

Bridge of Life will cover costs for:

• Airfare
• In-country transportation
• Lodging
• Food (three meals per day)
• Visas
• If requested, BOL will reimburse a maximum of $300 for any required immunizations

Volunteers are responsible for:

• Passports
• Immunizations
• Travel to/from the departure airport
• Airport parking fees
• Fundraising
• Incidentals

Costs to participate in a mission as a volunteer are:

• • $2,000 for 2-week missions
  • $1,000 for 1-week missions

One way to meet these costs is to fundraise. Bridge of Life will provide fundraising set-up instructions for each Village Service Trip as well as tips and tools to make fundraising easier (contact Donations@bolteam.org</a > for more information). Participants can also opt to make their own personal donation to cover these costs via check or an online payment.

DaVita teammates must use their own PTO for the time spent on a mission. PTO will only be reimbursed for participation in a two-week mission. For any mission shorter than two weeks, no PTO or pay will be reimbursed. Upon completion of a mission longer than two weeks, DaVita will reimburse the teammate 50 percent of PTO used.

Volunteers participating in an international Village Service trip or event will work with our in-country partners to provide health services and training projects at clinics or in communities. Please note that travel, lodging and weather conditions in the countries we serve may be different than what most individuals are accustomed to. Please be prepared to travel light, adjust to time changes, be flexible, and try new things. Part of the volunteer experience is to get outside your comfort zone, but most importantly, to SERVE and to HAVE FUN! Additional details on volunteering with Bridge of Life can be found by clicking on one of the boxes below. For further information, please contact BOLProgram@bolteam.org</a >.