How We Serve

Dear Monthly Chick Leader,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE THESE INCREDIBLE GIRLS!! We love our time spent at Bokenkamp and because of women like you, you make heroes in our world into a reality! Your sacrifice of a Saturday morning is rewarded with so many smiles and an abundance of gratitude! We may never know the impact we are making upon each of these girls’ lives, but know that YOU ARE!

 

A Few General Guidelines to Lead a Chicktime Month at Bokenkamp

Your Programs:

Our Goal for you is to provide one 120-minute, 2 60-minute or 3 40-minute programs. We recommend you invite 2-3 girlfriends (14+) to assist you in leading these programs. The programs need to be based on the passions and talents of the leaders.

For example, if you love to bake, prepare a program that will allow the girls to decorate cookies or cupcakes. If your girlfriend loves Zumba, she will prepare a mini Zumba class and teach the girls that. If another one of your girlfriends love crafting, she could prepare a craft for the girls to make. We recommend that you incorporate either a snack station or a food item that would complement one of the programs because the girls love to eat!

Please be aware that the majority of the girls are Spanish speaking, so if you are not fluent, either bring someone who is or let the program be easy enough to where the concept can be easily grasped.  (A list of program ideas is at the end of this page.)

Once you decide what programs you and your girlfriends will provide, please contact Carolina or Amanda and discuss your ideas with them. At that time, they will let you know if your activities are appropriate for Bokenkamp. All materials you bring to Bokenkamp must be approved so make sure you discuss those ahead of time.  There are up to 45 resident girls at Bokenkamp at a time. You must make preparations for all to attend, providing enough materials for all to participate, but please understand that on any given Saturday, we cannot guarantee how many girls will be able to attend. Chicktime is a treat and the girls must earn the right to come and play. We typically have between 25-35 girls each Saturday, but again, we ALWAYS prepare for 45. (We also do have some crafting supplies such as scissors, glue, construction paper, etc., if needed.) The Bokenkamp girls are usually 12+ years old.  You are responsible to fund all materials for your programs. If you need fundraising advice and support, please contact Amanda Ybarra or Carolina Sizemore. No idea is too big or too small for Bokenkamp!

Your Volunteers:

You are responsible to bring ALL volunteers needed to facilitate your programs.

Additional volunteers will join us on any given Saturday, but they will serve as mentors and rotate through the stations enjoying time with the girls. You may bring additional volunteers to come and ‘play’ in addition to your program facilitators! Bringing your own volunteers to run the programs also opens the opportunity for new volunteers to experience Chicktime!
Invitations:

Chicktime CC will create an invitation for your event. It is important that you organize your programs as early as possible so that we get the invitation out to the general public. Ideally, we would like that information 2 months prior to your event. We will be in contact with you to get the specifics needed to create the invitation.

Chicktime CC will send out the invitation for you using our database to our regular volunteers. You are encouraged to send the invitation out to your circle of friends and family as well as print them off and distribute to your community if you desire. On that note, please encourage your friends to fill out our web form and sign up to join Chicktime Corpus Christi. Simply click the subscribe button at the bottom of every page to open the web form. Make sure to select TX-Corpus Christi from the drop down menu. You are welcome to send a link to the web form to your friends, post it on your Facebook page, and even include it as part of your email signature!

 

 

What to Wear:

Chicktime Shirts!!! We typically wear jeans, capris/long shorts and Chicktime t-shirts. We will have Chicktime shirts available prior to each Chicktime. T-shirts are available with $20 donation… we encourage you all to get one because it helps spread the word about Chicktime! 100% of the money goes to the Bokenkamp girls! This is how we raise money for special projects for the girls. If you are not planning to wear a Chicktime t-shirt, Bokenkamp asks that the volunteers wear modest tops that show no cleavage, and shirts that stay tucked in or do not ride up past the waistline of their pants. When volunteers do wear shorts they need to be long, to the knee if possible.

What Not to Wear:

No short shorts will be allowed and volunteers will be asked to change before entering the facility. Bokenkamp also suggests that excessive jewelry and designer clothing is distracting for the Bokenkamp because it makes them feel ‘small’. Our goal is to blend in with the girls and make them feel a part of our community. Thank you for respecting the clothing boundaries.

 

Other Things to Consider:

Because Bokenkamp is a locked down facility, there are several things volunteers should be aware of:

1. We are asked to respect the privacy of the girls and not ask for last names (or give our last names). We are  to be on a first name basis with the girls.
2. We are also asked to respect the situation the girls are coming from and to not have physical contact with them. It is also best not to ask the girls about how they arrived here or where they might be placed.
3. Never accept notes from the girls that are to be passed on to someone else, including family members. If approached with this, notify supervisor.
4. We are not to give out personal information to the girls, such as where we live, and understand that even if they are leaving the facility, we are not to have contact with them. (For example: phone numbers, Facebook friends, and/or emails.)
5. Never photograph the girls without permission. And if allowed to photograph the girls, faces of the girls are NEVER allowed to show in photographs. If you wish to share pictures on social media, please do so from our website or from our personal Facebook page, @ChicktimeCC
6. We are also asked to leave phones, large key chains, purses, pens, sharp objects and personal items in our cars while we are in the facility.
7. Bokenkamp allows volunteers to bring underage, (at least 14 years of age) daughters as long as they are accompanied by their mother, grandmother, aunt, or a close family friend. Volunteer forms are required for each event. (Even if you have filled them out previously.)
8. We will all be “keyed-in” and “keyed-out” upon entering or exiting the facility. If we leave the general area that we are working in, we will be keyed in/out there as well.
9. Remember, we are here for the girls. Our time there should be spent interacting with the residents of Bokenkamp.