Life Span is a nationally recognized leader in the provision of services to victims of violence and their children.  Our comprehensive services include legal advocacy and representation, counseling, and a 24-hour crisis line.   Our work encompasses such issues as police domestic violence, immigration, employment issues, sexual assault protective orders, mental health, teen dating violence, and battered women as defendants.  Our agency has three sites, and services are available in English, Spanish and Polish.  Services to clients are free of charge.  Our agency provides national leadership in policy work and legislation, and our staff has trained lawyers and other professionals in Illinois and across the country. 

Your Opportunity to Help......

Spanish and Polish Written Language Translation: 

If you are bilingual in Spanish or Polish, we have opportunities for written translation work.  Please Contact Ann M. Marquez or Amy C. Fox at the Downtown Chicago location if interested.

Development Assistant:

Life Span seeks a volunteer development coordinator to assist our Director of Development with fund-raising for the organization.  The volunteer development coordinator position may include the following duties:

• Assist with the production of newsletter and promotional materials
• Maintain website and if bilingual, translate website pages 
• Assist with annual Gala Event: communications, auction solicitations, and event logistics
• Research Life Span history with Chicago-based funders
• Maintain funder database
• Assemble marketing materials
• General office duties as assigned

Qualified individuals must possess a general understanding of the role the development department plays at a non-profit agency; knowledge of database systems and how they work; typing and spelling accuracy; commitment to working in the not-for-profit/public interest sector.

Law Clerks:

Volunteer law clerks will assist our staff of attorneys in providing legal services to victims of domestic violence.  Volunteers will assist victims of domestic violence or sexual assault who seek civil legal representation and/or criminal court advocacy and provide additional assistance to staff attorneys and the legal director as needed.  Volunteer law clerks may assist with the following duties:

• Conduct client interviews and complete intake paperwork
• Explain Life Span services and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act to clients and help them form a plan of action based on their options under the law
• Provide clients with referrals to other needed services
• Maintain case files
• Maintain complete client statistics and submit as required by Life Span administration on a timely basis.
• Accompany clients and attorneys to court
• If bilingual, translate written documents and interpret at client interviews and assist clients in court
• Assist attorneys with document preparation

Qualified individuals will possess bi-lingual communication skills preferably in Spanish, Korean, Polish, Arabic or Hindi and biculturalism is preferred but not required; commitment to working in the not-for-profit/public interest sector.

Crisis Line Volunteers: 

Life Span has temporarily closed its 24-hour crisis line.  We are not recruiting crisis line volunteers at this time.  Please check back on this Web page  for updated status information.  Please also consider other volunteer opportunities with Life Span.  

Volunteers are vital to Life Span's 24-hour crisis line service.   Crisis line volunteers are often the first contact a caller has with Life Span.   Our volunteers provide around-the-clock supportive listening, assistance with safety planning and referrals to victims of domestic violence.   Volunteers inform callers about the full range of domestic violence services offered at Life Span and encourage callers to contact both legal and counseling programs during business hours for more extensive follow up. 

Crisis line volunteers must be over 18, must complete the ICDVP (Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professional) approved 40-hour training, and must be available four shifts per month answering the crisis line from their homes.  A six month commitment is required.  Life Span provides the ICDVP training twice a year at no charge in exchange for six months of volunteer service.

Life Span has a full range of domestic violence services for immigrant women and non-English speaking clients and a continuing need for bilingual volunteers on the crisis line, particularly Spanish and Polish speakers.