We have a busy month ahead of us as we work to build the rideshare by bringing more people in to do the work it requires.
We are hosting two Open Houses (February 28 and March 5) and a Co-ordinator Training workshop (March 21). See details below!
(Please note that we are unable to accept volunteers who are currently or prospectively prison guards, border guards, police officers or otherwise employed in law enforcement. We are a secular organization.)
OPEN HOUSES
Have you ever wanted to get involved with the Bar None Prison Visiting Rideshare? Do you have questions you’ve been too shy to ask? Drop in at one of our upcoming Open Houses to learn more!
Since 2015, Bar None has operated a rideshare to connect people with rides to visit their friends and loved ones who are imprisoned in southern Manitoba. When prison visits were shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19, we lost a big chunk of our network of riders, volunteer drivers, and coordinators. We need volunteers to get the rideshare going again.
Gather up your friends, neighbours, and kids and come on down to Sunshine House to meet Bar None members and volunteers, eat snacks, and learn more about how the rideshare works and the many routes to getting involved.
If you can’t make it in person, you are always welcome to email us to learn more: barnone.wpg@gmail.com
Accessibility: The front entrance of Sunshine House has three concrete steps with no railing. A mobile ramp can be deployed. Two single stall all gender washrooms are accessed by a steep flight of stairs with a handrail. There are no grab bars in the washrooms.
COVID-19 precautions: Masks required (and provided), HEPA filters running, please do not attend if you feel unwell.
CO-ORDINATOR TRAINING
Are you interested in volunteering for the Bar None rideshare in a way otehr than driving and visiting? The rideshare needs new volunteer coordinators!
You are invited to attend an upcoming New Coordinator Training on the evening of Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (time and place TBA). Please RSVP to barnone.wpg@gmail.com and plan to bring a laptop computer. If you do not have a laptop computer to bring, please let us know in advance. Please send any questions you may have to barnone.wpg@gmail.com
What does coordinating the rideshare involve? Coordinators connect people who need rides with people who can give rides. This mainly involves using the coordinator cell phone to reply to people requesting rides; using the coordinator email account to forward requests to volunteer drivers; and entering ride information into the online rideshare database.
What is the time commitment? Coordinators typically work about an hour per day (depending on how many requests are coming in) for two weeks at a time. You are welcome to take as many or as few two-week shifts as you are able to.