MMCC Office and Hours of Operation

The Maine MultiCultural Offices are located  on the 2nd floor, suite 201A at 12 Acme Rd in Brewer.  Usual hours of operation are 9:00 to 4:00, Monday through Friday.  Staff is often at off-site meetings, however, so volunteers are encouraged to check with staff to make sure someone  will be in the building when they wish to stop by.  Arrangements can be made to meet outside of usual operating hours when needed as well.

What We Do

• Integrative services for new Mainers

  • Connect immigrants to services & resources

  • Volunteer support teams for new immigrants

  • Prepare housing for new immigrants

    • Furniture & houseware donation collection

    • Move in set-up

• Community Engagement

  • Breaking Bread with Our Neighbors

  • MultiCultural Community Forums

  • Workshops & book groups for educators

  • Workshops for businesses

  • Conference for Business & Industry

• Career Services and Small Business Support

• Advocacy

Confidentiality

Any personal or financial information shared by members of the family to which you have been assigned is to be kept confidential at all times. Information about the family or any of its members may be shared with the MMCC Volunteer Coordinator, but should not be shared with other teams. Care should be taken with email or other written correspondence to maintain the anonymity of individuals if personal information is being transmitted.

With respect to collecting/sharing information about family members, volunteers and staff shall:

• Obtain consent for collecting, using , and disclosing personal information except when inappropriate (e.g. in an emergency). Obtain the consent in a form appropriate to the kind of information concerned. If the individual modifies or withdraws his or her consent, respect the changes.
• Collect personal information only for a reasonable purpose and only as much as is reasonable for those purposes. Except when inappropriate, collect personal information directly from the individual concerned and inform the individual of how you will use and disclose the information.
• Use and disclose personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless the individual consents to other uses.
• On request, provide an individual with information about the existence, use, and disclosure of the individual's personal information and provide access to that information. 
• On request, correct information that is inaccurate. 
• Ensure that any personal information is as accurate as necessary for the collection purposes; ensure that personal information is secure; and keep the information only as long as reasonable for business and legal reasons.

Importance of Volunteers to MMCC

Maine MultiCultural Center (MMCC) Volunteers add value and provide support to our organization. They are integral to the work we do, and serve as an important bridge between the community and the new Americans settling here.

Volunteer Role Description

Role Description

MMCC Volunteers serve as cultural interpreters for new Mainers.  They accompany new Mainers as they learn how to access resources and services available to them in the community.  Not all volunteers assist in all of these ways, but the range of supports volunteers may provide include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Help with negotiating the nearest supermarket for purchasing groceries
• Help with enrolling children in school, and meeting school expectations
• Help with accessing English language learning courses and act as language partners for members of the families to which they are assigned
• Help with learning to use the local bus system
• Help with learning to drive, securing a driver’s license, and purchasing a vehicle
• Help with anticipating and preparing income tax returns
• Help with understanding the rights and responsibilities as residents of Maine and the United States
• Help making medical appointments
• Provide transportation, as needed, to appointments, shopping, and events.
• Assist, as needed, in filling out applications and forms
• Help with other challenges our new neighbors might experience in adjusting to their new live

Time Requirements

MMCC Volunteers are expected to commit a minimum of 2 hours per week (especially when families first arrive). Depending on an individual's interest and availability, there are many opportunities to serve more hours, though more is not required.

Location of Services

MMCC Volunteers usually meet with the families to which they have been assigned at the family’s home. Transportation is within the greater Bangor area. MMCC Volunteers typically provide transportation to stores, doctor’s appointments, meetings at school, various meetings/appointments, English Language lessons, church/synagogue/mosque, etc.

Skills & Qualifications

The MMCC Volunteer role is not physically demanding and requires no special tools or accessories. Empathy, compassion, and flexibility, however, are all a must, as is the ability to set and maintain limits and boundaries. Facility with, or willingness to master, translations apps or software if you are not fluent in the family’s language is required. The ability to send and receive email is required as well.

Orientation

MMCC Volunteer Orientation consists of the on-line MMCC Volunteer Training which you might be completing now, followed by an individual meeting with our Volunteer Coordinator where you can ask any further questions you have and explore aspects of the on-line training more fully.  Each volunteer is expected to complete both the on-line training and the individual meeting prior to the start of service.

Supervision & Support

MMCC Volunteer assignments are made by the MMCC Volunteer Coordinator, who oversees and supports MMCC Volunteer Support Team activity. The Volunteer Coordinator is in regular contact with MMCC Support Teams. 

The MMCC Volunteer Coordinator is Sarah Marx (sarah.marx@mainemulticulturalcenter.org)

Volunteer Rights

As a volunteer you have the right to:

• Receive accurate information about MMCC.
• Be carefully interviewed and appropriately assigned.
• Receive training.
• Do meaningful and satisfying work.
• Be seen as belonging, through inclusion at meetings, social functions, etc.
• Be seen as a person and to be supported in your role.
• Be safe on the job.
• Have choices and feel comfortable about saying "no".
• Not be exploited.
• Be consulted on matters that directly or indirectly affect you and your work.
• Receive feedback on your work.
• Receive recognition for your contribution.
• Have your personal information kept confidential.
• Be trusted with confidential information if it is necessary to do your job.

Volunteer Responsibilities

As a volunteer you are expected to:

• Fill out a monthly volunteer feedback form

• Respect confidentiality and the rights of the team members and the individuals you accompany.
• Do the work while adopting a non-judgmental approach.
• Recognize signs of burnout and avoid over-extending yourself.
• Be accountable and accept feedback.
• Ask for support when it is needed.
• Acknowledge decisions made by staff and the organization.
• Be reliable and trustworthy.
• Make sure you stay safe on the job.
• Make recommendations for improvement where feasible and appropriate and provide feedback.
• Complete relevant training and ask questions when you are uncertain about specific points.
• Express willingness to work as part of a team.
• Address areas of conflict with the Volunteer Coordinator.

Application Process

If you have not yet done so, apply to serve on an MMCC Volunteer Support team by filling out the application at: https://tally.so/r/jaB0Ra

Monthly Reporting Duties

Volunteers are expected to complete the monthly report within 5 days of the link for it being sent out. The monthly report serves many purposes. It help us track the volunteer hours donated so that we can report to grantors that require us to track that information. It can be used as match for grants that require a match. It is useful information to be able to provide when making grant applications. Most importantly, however, the monthly report provides us with important feedback that helps us make necessary adjustments to our practice in order to ensure that we are providing the best service possible to the families we serve and the best support possible to our volunteers.

Communication

Volunteers are encouraged to communicate with each other within the support team. They can also connect with members of other support teams. There are open channels of communication between volunteers and the Volunteer Coordinator. It is always best to inform the Volunteer Coordinator of an event or a piece of information that can be beneficial for the new Mainers. This way, the Volunteer Coordinator can share it with all families and individuals and no one is left out. 

Dealing with Media & Other Outside Contacts

Communication with Media/Outside Contacts

Information about and/or statements about MMCC requested by the Media or other outside sources should only be made by MMCC staff or members of the Board of Directors’ Executive Committee. In the event that you are contacted by media or other outside sources seeking a statement and/or information about MMCC please secure the name, affiliation, and contact information of the person making the request and inform them that you are unable to comment but that you will forward their request to MMCC management.

Communication Materials

All materials that communicate MMCC messages or promote MMCC programs and events must be approved by the Communications Department before distribution to the public, in order to adhere to MMCC branding standards and compliance with funding source requirements.

Promotion/Publication Release

MMCC will enforce the following promotion/publication release procedure, facilitating our ability to protect the privacy of MMCC employees, volunteers, and the families/individuals we serve, focusing specifically on the proper documentation of releases and authorizations for descriptive text, commentary, photographs, videos, tapings, etc. 

Should permission be granted, then Releases must be obtained from the appropriate parties involved. Release forms can be found at the bottom of this document and printed as needed. Release forms can also be obtained from the Volunteer Coordinator. The form should be signed by the Volunteer/Individual prior to any promotional material being released, and the form should be delivered to the Volunteer Coordinator for proper storage.

Transportation Safety

Any  employee or volunteer who uses a leased vehicle, rented vehicle, or their own personal vehicle on MMCC business must adhere to the following requirements:

•  Volunteers must have a valid driver’s license and adhere to license restrictions if applicable.
•  Volunteers must have personal motor vehicle insurance with the minimum limits
•  Volunteers must notify the Volunteer Coordinator immediately if for any reason (illness, injury, physical condition, and use of medication) their personal situation may impair or affect their ability to safely drive a motor vehicle.
•  Volunteers must notify he Volunteer Coordinator in the event that their license to operate a motor vehicle is under suspension, revocation or administrative restriction and must also cease immediately to operate their motor vehicle. Failure to do so may result in termination of volunteer service.
•  Volunteers and anyone traveling with volunteers must wear safety belts, or in the case of small children and infants be strapped into an appropriate child safety seat, when operating or riding in a motor vehicle.
•  Volunteers should not operate a motor vehicle at any time if their ability is impaired, affected or influenced by alcohol, illegal drugs, medication, illness, fatigue or injury.
•  Volunteers shall ensure that their vehicle is maintained in safe operating condition and that they abide by all federal, state and local motor vehicle regulations, laws and ordinances.

Emergency Procedures

Medical Emergency

If an ambulance is needed

•  Call 911.
•  Provide Dispatcher with:
•  Location of emergency
•  Type of injury.
•  If known, brief description of injured person (gender, age, etc.)
•  Render first aid, as trained.
•  Make the ill/injured person as comfortable as possible.
•  Notify the Volunteer Program Coordinator of the incident.

If an individual is bleeding, having trouble breathing, or appears to be having a heart attack, you should NOT transport that person in your personal vehicle. In any situation that involves serious injury or potentially life threatening circumstances, always call 911.

Automobile Accident

If you are involved in an automobile accident while transporting a member(s) of the family you serve, DO NOT leave the scene of the accident, call 911 to report the accident. Notify the Volunteer Coordinator as soon as any emergency procedures have been completed.

Other Emergencies

In the event of other emergencies (e.g. the family’s home burns down, the family loses heat in the middle of the winter, the family is without food, a child has been abducted, a family member is in trouble at school or with the law, etc.) contact the Volunteer Coordinator or Executive Director.

Grievance Policy

Achieving satisfaction and engagement between volunteers and Maine Multicultral Center's staff is of extreme priority. The primary purpose of this grievance policy is to ensure that our volunteers have the right to voice out their complaints. In order to create a beneficial and comfortable work environment for everyone, MMCC encourages volunteers to discuss any problem or issue they might have through a transparent grievance process. The organization stresses that grievances are addressed promptly, respectfully and effectively. 

Human Rights/Sexual Harassment Policy

MMCC will not tolerate bullying, workplace violence or harassment based on sex (with or without sexual conduct), gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender status, genetic information, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability. MMCC also will not tolerate retaliation for speaking out against discrimination, participating in the complaint investigation process, or for good faith reporting to MMCC or a public body a violation of law, rule, condition, or a practice that would put at risk the health or safety of any employee, volunteer, or other individual. This Policy applies to MMCC staff, volunteers, vendors and other non-employees and covers conduct on- and off-duty and on- and off-work premises. MMCC fully supports this policy and senior management is committed to the prevention of any form of harassment or retaliation.

All employees/volunteers must promptly report any harassing behavior or retaliation before it becomes severe or interferes with their work or the work of others. This requirement includes reporting by bystanders who witness or become aware of harassment even if they are not the target. Management will make every effort to stop any harassment or retaliation before it may amount to a violation of law. It can only do so if it is promptly reported. 

Management will not tolerate adverse treatment of a volunteer because he or she reported harassment or provided information relating to such a complaint or in good faith reported to MMCC or a public body a violation of a law, rule, condition, or a practice that would put at risk the health or safety of any employee or other individual.

Resignation/Leaving the Volunteer Program

Resignation is a voluntary act initiated by the Volunteer to terminate service with MMCC. MMCC requests the professional courtesy of advance notice of intention to terminate service and willingness to sit for an exit interview with the Volunteer Coordinator, Executive Director, or President of the Board of Directors.