College Volunteers

Make a Difference on Campus

Bring smiles to children with medical needs

Project Sunshine college volunteers deliver play and activities to children in need of socialization and human connection to help them cope while they are dealing with medical challenges. Play allows children to learn, explore, and it enables them to heal.

Find My Chapter
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Why volunteer?

As a college volunteer, you will be able to:

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Gain experience in a hospital setting

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Engage in service opportunities

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Develop leadership experience

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Utilize our stream-lined volunteer application process

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Gain access to our network of medical partners

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College chapter locations

Project Sunshine has active college chapters on over 85 campuses across 25 states nationwide. Chapters participate in volunteer program activities, organize events, and fundraise on campus to support Project Sunshine’s mission.

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Volunteer opportunities

In-person

Here To Play

Equipped with arts and crafts activities, volunteers facilitate play sessions with pediatric patients in medical facilities.These activities contain developmentally appropriate materials and instructions, while encouraging self-expression and imagination for the children. In addition to our comprehensive training, volunteers complete hospital-specific clearance processes.

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Teleplay

Volunteers deliver a live, interactive play experience over video conference using HIPAA-compliant technology. Teleplay connects isolated children to one another, and is available to any child facing medical challenges, whether at home or at the hospital. Volunteer play developmentally appropriate games and activities, increasing joy and emotional relief.

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Sending Sunshine

Volunteers assemble our activity kits to be sent directly to pediatric patients. Project Sunshine activity kits are designed by child life specialists, and developed in partnership with pediatric healthcare experts. These kits contain materials that provide therapeutic value to the emotional and physical healing process.

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Fundraising

Fundraising for Project Sunshine is a great way to support our causes and initiatives domestically and internationally. Contact us  for further details.

In-person

Here To Play

  • Volunteers play and interact with children, families, and medical facility staff at a local hospital.
  • Project Sunshine provides volunteers and medical staff with themed arts and crafts materials that are shipped directly to the medical facility.
  • Here To Play sessions can be held in a hospital play room for larger group activities or at bedside for one-to-one patient-volunteer interaction.
  • Each session lasts about 2 hours.
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Kits for Play

  • Volunteers gather as a group to assemble our activity kits that will be sent directly to pediatric patients.
  • Project Sunshine activity kits contain arts and crafts materials for children to use and play with during their hospital stay.
  • Project Sunshine sends all the materials you need to pack activity kits to your chapter.
  • In one hour, you can pack 100 kits for 100 children!
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TelePlay

  • Volunteers facilitate a 1-2 hour virtual play session on a secure and HIPPAA-compliant Zoom call with a small group of children.
  • Project Sunshine provides a Game Library for you to pick activities from, a PowerPoint template, and script to help facilitate the session.

Here To Play

Here to Play brings a group of local volunteers to your facility dressed in yellow Project Sunshine t-shirts, equipped with creative arts and crafts materials to the unit of your choice. In addition to our comprehensive training, our volunteers will go through any additional hospital required clearance process and can provide proof of COVID and Flu vaccinations. You select the frequency, date/time, and our volunteers will handle the rest!  

 
Teleplay

Project Sunshine’s TelePlay program is a live play experience, using a HIPAA compliant technology platform. TelePlay provides developmentally appropriate, engaging activities and games led by volunteers, including skilled volunteers like artists and musicians, and is open to any child facing medical challenges in or out of the hospital.

Sending Sunshine

Project Sunshine activity kits deliver safe, creative play directly to children. The materials spark joy and provide therapeutic value to the physical and emotional healing process. Each year, we send out close to 100,000 activity kits to medical facilities all around the US and Canada. Our partners distribute the activity kits to patients in areas like pediatric wards, emergency rooms, clinic waiting rooms. Activity kits are assembled by tens of thousands of volunteers who understand the importance of play for pediatric patients.

 
Fundraising
Fundraising for Project Sunshine is a great way to support our causes and initiatives domestically and internationally. In addition, to assembling sending sunshine activity kits for our hospital partners. contact us  for further details.

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The most rewarding part is seeing a child smile."

Hear from Dan, a college volunteer, about why he volunteers with Project Sunshine.

How to become a volunteer

We are committed to making the training accessible and time manageable to you, our volunteers, while also ensuring that you are well-prepared to engage with an important and vulnerable population. Here is what to expect from the college volunteer application process:

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Ready to become a volunteer?

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Project Sunshine college volunteer! The first step to becoming a volunteer is to contact your college chapter representative. 

Find My Chapter

FAQ

College Chapter volunteers have several opportunities to support Project Sunshine’s mission. They facilitate play sessions in hospitals and virtually, pack activity kits on campus, and organize fundraising events.

College chapters are required to meet a $500 fundraising goal each year.

College Chapters are required to host two kit packing events per year, one per semester, though many chapters host more. Chapter Leaders can access an order form through a unique URL found in their Salesforce account details tab.

No, Project Sunshine will conduct outreach and develop partnerships with medical facilities to ensure consistency and accountability. If you have a contact at a medical facility you want to partner with, please fill out this form. 

Chapter Leaders are required to serve one academic year at a minimum and encouraged to serve longer.
  • Support from headquarters and trainings 
  • Technology Applications: Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, Zoom 
  • Program and marketing materials
  • Professional development opportunities 
  • Access to a network of over 75+ college chapters across the country 

Don’t hesitate to contact us at volunteer@projectsunshine.org with any other questions. In your email, please be sure to provide your name, school, and location.

You got it! All of Project Sunshine’s volunteers are trained by staff or trained Chapter Leaders. Following the submission of your application you will be prompted to sign up for a New Volunteer Training which can last 45-60 minutes. Following the training, you will watch a 30-minute Engagement Video and complete a 12-question quiz. After you’ve passed the quiz, your Chapter Leader will reach out within two weeks. If you have not received communication from them, please reach out to us at volunteer@projectsunshine.org. 

Fundraising for Project Sunshine is a great way to support our causes and initiatives domestically and internationally. If you would like to fundraise for us, please contact us at volunteer@projectsunshine.org.

You can also volunteer through our Here To Play, Teleplay, and Kits for Play programs by collaborating with a college or community chapter. Please contact us at volunteer@projectsunshine.org for more information.