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 an 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.
- Please Note: All of our volunteer opportunities will require some walking, standing, bending and light lifting for 2-4-hour shifts.
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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Individual Opportunities
Volunteers at St. Jude provide support to patients and their families year-round. Learn what opportunities are available and how you volunteer at the hospital.
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Events, Livestreams and Virtual Fundraising
Find opportunities to attend and participate in virtual livestreams and local fundraising events that support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
