Volunteer with Odyssey

Volunteer

Interested in volunteering with the UW Odyssey Project?

 

There are many ways to volunteer with the Odyssey Project! If you are interested in volunteering with Odyssey, please fill out the form below.

Odyssey volunteer interest form

Odyssey Junior

 

Childcare/ Child Enrichment

Volunteers care for young children and work with older children (providing homework help, playing games, or doing crafts) on Tuesday evenings when parents attend tutoring at the UW South Madison Partnership classroom.

Fulfill Wish Lists

For Odyssey Junior (enrichment classes for the children of Odyssey students and alumni), we can use art supplies, puzzles, games, notebooks, children’s books, etc. We have compiled these items into one “Wish List” on Amazon. We also could use gift cards for families (gas cards, dept stores like Target, grocery stores) to use as prizes and for emergencies.

If you have any questions or ideas, please contact Gwendolyn Coale at gwendolyn.coale@wisc.edu.

Odyssey Tutoring & Outreach

 

Tutor Adult Students / Alumni

Odyssey hosts tutoring sessions on Monday and Tuesday evenings in the UW South Madison Partnership classroom but can sometimes make tutoring connections with students at other times. We seek tutors with skills in writing/ literacy, math, science, foreign language, and English as a Second Language.

If you have any questions or ideas, please contact Kevin Mullen at kevin.mullen@wisc.edu or 608-890-3330.

Other Ways to Support Odyssey

 

Donate to cover a Meal

We serve meals to roughly 150 people each Wednesday night, September through May. Since the pandemic, we have switched to ordering class meals from licensed kitchens in order to ensure the safety of our students and their families. For this reason, if you’re interested in donating to help cover meal expenses, please consider a gift to our Friends of Odyssey Family Fund.

Professional Services for Students

We can use pro bono services from attorneys, physicians/dentists, social workers, and others, to help students facing legal, medical, housing, and other challenges.

Administrative Support

We can sometimes use help with typing, mailings, and other administrative tasks in our office at 2238 S. Park St.

Photography or Videography

Help to capture photographs and/or video, especially from the Odyssey and Odyssey Junior classrooms on Wednesday evenings at Villager Mall, 2238 S. Park St.

If you have any questions or ideas, please co ntact Sarah Lensmire at sarah.lensmire@wisc.edu.

Gwendolyn Coale

Position title: Odyssey Junior Coordinator

Email: gwendolyn.coale@wisc.edu

Sarah Lensmire

Position title: Assistant Program and Development Manager

Email: sarah.lensmire@wisc.edu

Phone: 608-852-7344

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