The center is dedicated to helping women who need support for pregnancies, miscarriages, infertility, abortions, adoptions or parenting.
“Our volunteers are the heart of All-Options,” said Shelly Dodson, the center director, and Rachel Ronquillo Gray, the program manager, in an email.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to provide support to folks who need someone to talk to in-person or over the phone. We wouldn’t be able to greet as many people and give out as much material support as we do.”
Volunteers have the option to be either peer counselors or office support volunteers.
Counselors receive more than 40 hours of training on how to conduct in-person peer counseling and take calls on the national phone support service, Talkline.
Talkline can be used by any woman who needs to discuss any experiences related to pregnancy, abortion or adoption. It’s a free form of confidential support.
“During the training we explore personal values and biases and then learn to put them aside so we can truly support the person we’re talking to,” they said.
The office support volunteers work at the front desk, sort donations and help with events around Bloomington.
Both types of volunteers are asked to commit to one year of service, complete a certain number of shifts and attend monthly meetings.
Dodson and Gray said anyone is welcome to apply, and the program is especially beneficial to students.
“This unique opportunity allows students to build radical communication skills and walk away with a deeper understanding of reproductive justice, all in a supportive community of fellow open-hearted people,” they wrote.
Office support training begins in September, and peer counseling training begins in October.
The center typically accepts between 10 and 15 volunteers per training cycle. Applications can be found at www.alloptionsprc.org.
Annie Garau
