Looking to make a difference in your community?
Nicasa Behavioral Health Services offers a variety of meaningful volunteer opportunities that help transform lives. Whether you want to mentor clients, support events, or assist with vital programs, your involvement plays a crucial role in creating positive lifestyles and healthy futures for individuals and families. Explore how you can contribute and join our mission today!
Volunteer Opportunities
Student
Nicasa has various facilities maintenance needs at locations across Lake County. Some of these projects may include painting, garden and/or labyrinth maintenance, playground repair, etc. References and/or licensure may be required for certain projects. These projects change over time and availability depends on weather and the time of the year.
To see if any current projects are available, please contact the Development Department at development@nicasa.org for more information.
Each year, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services provides care to individuals and families who are without insurance or other means to pay for services. To ensure access to life-saving services, we offer care at little to no cost for eligible individuals. Fundraising is crucial to sustaining our programs, including general operations and specialty programs like Teen Court.
Peer-to-peer fundraising allows you to share your passion while helping raise funds for Nicasa.
We’ll assist you in creating a personalized fundraising page that you can share via email, text, or social media. You can set your own goal and reach out to friends, family, coworkers, and community members to explain why you’re raising funds for Nicasa and how their support will make a difference.
If you are interested in peer fundraising, please contact Vicky Tello, LSW, Director of Philanthropy, at vtello@nicasa.org for more information and/or to create a personalized fundraising page.
If you are a high school student looking for a volunteer opportunity, sign up to be a Teen Court Juror. Our teen volunteers fill various roles in the peer court room (including attorneys, bailiff, jury, etc.) and will provide meaningful, alternative sentences to participants in the program so they can have a second chance and connect meaning to their behaviors while learning healthier ways to live.
Benefits: Awareness of issues among your peers and within the community, leadership skills, responsible citizenship, critical thinking skills, community service hours, contribution to school and the community, additional skills for future resumes and job applications, and the ability to apply for 1 of 3 college scholarships.
For more information, please contact our Viviana Arzate, Teen Court Coordinator, at (847)201-8543 or varzate@nicasa.org.
If you’re a high school student looking for a volunteer opportunity that allows you to be creative, consider joining the Teen Problem Gambling Awareness Group as a peer collaborator. Teen volunteers work together to creatively and positively impact the community’s overall knowledge and attitudes towards teen gambling and how to not engage in these behaviors. Created in 2021 as part of Nicasa Behavioral Health Services’ gambling outreach efforts, this group is made up of youth volunteers from various high schools throughout northern IL.
Responsibilities: Reviewing educational materials and information about teen gambling, creating materials to educate peers, making creative content, and participating in activities to teach others about the signs, symptoms, and risks related to teen gambling.
Example activities and events: Health and resource fairs, parades, cultural and public awareness events, t-shirts, social media campaigns, interactive virtual reality scenarios, and more.
Meetings: Once a month.
If you are interested in educating your peers and others on problem gambling, and expressing yourself creatively, please contact Elizabeth Thielen, LPC, PCGC, Senior Director of Substance Abuse Services, at ethielen@nicasa.org.
Adult
Description: The Board of Directors play a vital role in supporting Nicasa Behavioral Health Services by providing mission-driven leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by Nicasa Behavioral Health Services’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Board-CEO relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected.
Responsibilities: Leadership, governance, oversight, and fundraising.
Meetings: Meetings take place on the second Tuesday of every other month at 5:00 PM. Additionally, Board committees—Executive, Finance, Resource Development, Marketing Communications, and Governance—meet separately every other month.
If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact Bruce N. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, at bjohnson@nicasa.org.
Description: Volunteer committees organize and plan Nicasa Behavioral Health Services’ annual golf outing and pickleball tournament fundraiser events. In-person set-up and volunteering for day-of events will take place in June (golf outing) and August (pickleball tournament) respectively. You do NOT have to be a golfer or pickleball player to join either committee.
Responsibilities: Event planning, item solicitation, volunteer coordination, and securing sponsorships.
Meetings: These committees meet weekly via Zoom at a time best determined by all participating members, with a possible increase in frequency as each event approaches.
If you are interested in joining either of these committees, please contact Vicky Tello, LSW, Director of Philanthropy, at vtello@nicasa.org.
Nicasa has various facilities maintenance needs at locations across Lake County. Some of these projects may include painting, garden and/or labyrinth maintenance, playground repair, etc. References and/or licensure may be required for certain projects. These projects change over time and availability depends on weather and the time of the year.
To see if any current projects are available, please contact the Development Department at development@nicasa.org for more information.
Nicasa is committed to decreasing stigma associated with substance use and breaking down barriers to care, especially as it relates to the opioid epidemic. An important part of Nicasa’s care is harm reduction and deflection services. Our team travels door-to-door across Lake County, sharing critical information and following up with individuals who have been revived from a fatal overdose with Narcan. To save more lives and connect people to resources, we distribute free Narcan kits, along with bilingual instructions on how to use Narcan and where to find help for substance use. We are seeking assistance in assembling these packages of life-saving resources.
If you are interested in assembling packages, please contact the Development Department at development@nicasa.org for more information.
Our internship opportunities provide hands-on experience in a dynamic, supportive environment. Ideal candidates will have a passion for helping individuals achieve better mental health and well-being, with bilingual skills considered a valuable asset.
Nicasa Behavioral Services supports over 4,000 clients annually, many of whom need essential food and supplies. We welcome donations of a wide range of goods, including but not limited to the following items:
Items especially needed:
- Adjustable window screens
- Twin XL bed sheets and blankets (new only)
- Pillows (new only)
- Towels (new only)
- Blankets (new only)
- Duffle bags
- Winter coats and outerwear (all ages)
- Diapers and pull-ups (especially larger, less common sizes), wipes, formula, baby food
- Non-perishable food items (nothing that requires hotplate)
- Toiletries and personal hygiene products
- Ventra Cards (bus passes) or ride-share cards (Uber/Lyft)
- Sweats and/or scrubs (various adult sizes)
- Gift cards to local resale shops and/or Walmart to meet the clothing needs of our clients
- Basic new home essentials (e.g. bucket and mop, bleach, silverware, pots and pans, etc.)
Nicasa invites anyone looking to complete an off-site volunteer opportunity to hold a drive for any of the items listed above, or other items you have in mind. We are happy to come out in person, or via video call to share background information on Nicasa Behavioral Services’ work and how these donations make a meaningful impact for those we serve.
If you’re interested in hosting a drive or would like us to provide information to your group, please contact our Development Department at development@nicasa.org.
Each year, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services provides care to individuals and families who are without insurance or other means to pay for services. To ensure access to life-saving services, we offer care at little to no cost for eligible individuals. Fundraising is crucial to sustaining our programs, including general operations and specialty programs like Teen Court.
Peer-to-peer fundraising allows you to share your passion while helping raise funds for Nicasa. We’ll assist you in creating a personalized fundraising page that you can share via email, text, or social media. You can set your own goal and reach out to friends, family, coworkers, and community members to explain why you’re raising funds for Nicasa and how their support will make a difference.
If you are interested in peer fundraising, please contact Vicky Tello, LSW, Director of Philanthropy, at vtello@nicasa.org for more information and/or to create a personalized fundraising page.
Nicasa Behavioral Health Services has opportunities for individuals or groups to provide workshops and presentations to adult and/or youth treatment groups. These workshops and presentations can include, but are not limited to, financial planning, life skills, career exploration/preparation, decision-making, health and wellness, family care, and nutrition.
If you are interested in providing workshops or presentations, please contact the Development Department at development@nicasa.org and they will connect you with the appropriate staff member.
Please note, on-site volunteer opportunities are often limited due to strict levels of confidentiality, but we are always open to discussing options with interested parties. If you would like to give of your time and talent in a different way, please contact the Development Department at development@nicasa.org.
