Services

Brave Heart Volunteers provides social, emotional, and educational support for those who are experiencing loneliness, grief, or nearing the end of life.

To begin the process of establishing services with Brave Heart Volunteers, please complete the Referral Form and the Care Receiver Intake Forms. Then submit the completed forms to Brave Heart Volunteers by email to kathryn@braveheartvolunteers.org or in person at 120 Katlian Street, Sitka, AK.

Read below to learn about our areas of service.

Volunteers at Brave Heart are compassionate, caring, and available up to 2 hours a week to connect with your loved one for social and emotional support. Volunteers are not trained to provide medical assistance of any kind, but can spend time conversing, playing cards, reading, or other similar activities with your loved one. They may also assist with errands, minor household tasks, or light yard work.

Visiting and Companionship

End of Life Compassionate Support & Respite

Our volunteers keep vigil at the bedsides of those who are nearing the end of life, and they provide necessary respite for caregivers. Our volunteers do not provide medical assistance, but their compassionate presence allows care receivers to focus on physically, emotionally, and spiritually preparing for an end of life transition that is meaningful to them and their caregivers.

We also offer an hour-long instructional program for families who are facing the unexpected, imminent loss of a loved one, but have never assisted someone who is dying. Our aim is to provide the resources, encouragement, and confidence to bear such a challenging experience.

Grief Support

Our grief support programming includes grief support groups, daylong bereavement retreats, or pairing with a Friend in Grief Volunteer.

The Grief Support Group is offered a few times a year and follows an eight-week curriculum. Our day-long retreats are a one-day event and offered quarterly. In both cases, we provide a comfortable, confidential setting for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and want to feel supported by others in a similar situation.

You may also wish to be paired with a Friend in Grief Volunteer, who will provide weekly social and emotional support during your grief journey.

Education & Training

View Resources

We provide educational programs such as our volunteer orientation and our compassionate care at end-of-life training, as well as quality resources through our in-house Lending Library.

Come by our office at the Pioneers' Home Manager's House to explore our Lending Library. The collection includes DVDs, books about Alzheimer's and related dementia; grief and bereavement; caregiving; palliative care; death and dying; Inspirational books, and more!

A Glimpse of Who We Are and How We Serve

Here's a look at 20 years of Brave Heart Volunteers service in Sitka.

WHO WE ARE: We are your friends and neighbors who have a heart for serving those in need.

WHAT WE DO: We provide community education and training for bighearted volunteers who want to companion those who are ill, at the end of life, lonely, isolated, or grieving. We nurture. We affirm. We love.

WHY WE DO IT: The reasons are endless and the benefits are immeasurable.

We celebrate all past and present volunteers, care receivers, caregivers, staff, and Board members.

Thank you for 20 years of Heartshine, Sitka!

Artchange, Inc., a non-profit organization, created several documentaries about life in Sitka, in a project called 14 Miles. Brave Heart Volunteers had the honor of being featured in Episode 26: Not Looking for Easy. This video provides a small glimpse of who we are and how we serve some of our wonderful care receivers.

As Artchange, Inc. says, "In this 14 Miles episode, we spend time with Jamie, a local Sitkan empowered, through the help of service organizations like Brave Heart Volunteers, to live in her own home and live her life the way she wants to."