This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards.

Oakland HEROES -- Helpers Engaged in Reaching Oakland's Excelling Schools

What Volunteers Do

Ready to start volunteering? There are a number of ways to help the Oakland schools! HEROES places volunteers in a variety of roles including:

Classroom Helper

Volunteers are placed in all grades and subjects, preschool through high school, based on their interests. Working directly in classrooms, volunteers serve as tutors and classroom assistants.

Students hold up the books they received from volunteers.

Literacy Tutor

Volunteers read for a minimum of 30 minutes per week with K-3rd grade students. Tutors are trained to support students who are struggling readers at the early elementary school level.

Technology Assistant

Volunteers work as assistants to teachers in computer classes or help out schools with wiring, set-up and other tech prep.

Campus Enrichment

Volunteers help with school gardens, assist school library staff, and support other campus enrichment activities, such as school clean-ups.

One-time/Occasional

Schools often need extra help for special events, registration, testing and more. Schools will call volunteers as needed. HEROES also has one-time events throughout the school year.

Guest Speakers

Volunteer speakers sign up to share their knowledge and experience with a class of students.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. -- William Butler Yeats

The process of volunteering is as simple as we can make it.

  1. Complete and return the registration form.
  2. Provide HEROES with a copy of current (within the past sixty days) tuberculosis (TB) test results. Once on file, results will be valid for four years from test date. Although tests may be obtained from any health provider, OUSD offers testing as a service; please contact HEROES if you would like more information.
  3. Depending on what you will be doing in the schools, you may be asked to attend an orientation session. Please check the schedule of upcoming orientations.
  4. Some volunteers are required to be fingerprinted. This is generally the case only if you will be working without teacher or staff supervision. If you believe you need to be fingerprinted, please contact HEROES.
  5. The HEROES staff will help you find a placement that suits your skills, interests, and location preferences. HEROES is able to locate needs within schools through Teacher Requests that are submitted to our office, as well as communication with our partner schools.