FAQ’s

All prospective coaches must attend a two hour orientation, where they will learn about health and safety requirements of the program and will be given tips for how to best work with their student. A background check is also required, and is processed by CoachArt at no cost to the volunteer. Orientations are held monthly at our office in Los Angeles. If you are unable to attend a regularly scheduled orientation, please contact CoachArt, as there may be an off-site orientation held near you at a future date.

CoachArt runs a national criminal file search to verify that a prospective volunteer has no prior criminal convictions, is not a sex offender and does not have any outstanding warrants for arrest. Information related to a volunteer’s employment or credit history does not appear on the report.

Volunteering with CoachArt is completely FREE for the coaches and participants. CoachArt will pay for or provide all lesson materials needed for lessons or workshops, although we do ask volunteers to keep within certain budgetary limits.

All CoachArt volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the program.

Volunteers do not need to be experts in their area of lesson activity interest and no formal training is required. We do ask, however, that Outpatient Coaching volunteers possess enough knowledge to teach a 10 week session of beginner-level lessons and that In-Hospital Workshop volunteers feel confident enough to provide a workshop activity without additional volunteer support.

CoachArt lessons take place throughout the greater Los Angeles County area. Lessons take place at a coach’s studio or in student homes near where the coach lives. CoachArt will send a representative to greet volunteers at each first in-home lesson and requires that a guardian be present at all times during the lesson.

Our participants request the activities they would like to learn, so the sky is the limit. We receive requests for art, cooking, dance, music, sports, yoga, photography and more! We expect all coaches to plan their own lessons, however CoachArt staff can assist with the development of lesson plans if needed.

Our two program areas require different levels of time commitment; however it is extremely important that coaches only sign up for programs they can commit to. Each quarter, volunteers are given the option to participate or take a break. It is recommended that volunteers assess their availability each quarter and take a break from volunteering if their schedule will not allow for it. Those choosing to take a break will remain active within our program, and may choose to participate with other short term events until they become available again for Outpatient Coaching or In-Hospital workshops.

Outpatient Coaching Program-Lessons are scheduled over 10 consecutive weeks and usually last 1 hour each. Coaching sessions occur 4 times per year (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December).
In-Hospital Workshops-These art workshops are 2 hours long and are available during the week in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. Workshops are hosted year-round.

CoachArt patients have chronic, physical illnesses and conditions that require ongoing treatment. Certain students are living with arthritis, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, heart disease, HIV, kidney failure, Spina Bifida, craniofacial anomalies and various orthopedic disabilities, among other conditions. Not all chronic illnesses are accompanied by physical symptoms. Many times, CoachArt patients look and act just like their healthy siblings. These children are in an outpatient phase of treatment, meaning they are well enough to return home between treatments or appointments. Additionally, all patients receive a medical consent from their doctor before participating in any CoachArt lesson so that we can be aware of any special needs or limitations.

Unfortunately, we do not have any group volunteering opportunities available for the Outpatient Coaching program or the In-Hospital Workshop program. Groups interested in supporting CoachArt can host a supply drive, raise funds for the program or become volunteers on an individual basis. For more information about hosting a supply drive, click here.