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Berkshire Immigrant Center

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You are here: Home / Volunteers

Volunteers

bicVolunteers from Williams College and Goodwill who helped revamp our clothing offerings
WC clothes volunteers, Nov 2013

Thank you for your interest in helping the Berkshire Immigrant Center! It is truly heart-warming that so many in our community have a desire to support the Center’s work and our amazing foreign born population.

Ours is a small staff whose priorities (in order) are 1. to help clients navigate complex immigration laws, reunite with family, and achieve the most permanent status in the US possible, 2. provide limited education/information and technical assistance about newcomers and immigration laws to various groups in the community and 3. direct immigrants to resources that will assist their transition to a new community and culture.

Please note that due to our concentration on providing specialized direct service to clients as well as a small staff, our volunteer program is fairly small. We do our best to match our needs with the generosity of the community when we can, but there are times that we don’t have any openings that align with a volunteer’s interests or skill sets. A long term goal of the Center is to continue to grow its programming and therefore be able to provide more opportunities for community involvement in the future. 

We ask that you please read this page in its entirety and, if interested in learning more, fill out the forms found at the bottom of the page. If you still have questions after reading this, please email volunteer@berkshireic.org.

Volunteers are regularly involved at the immigrant center in the following ways:

  • Acting as interns and providing office support through clerical work such as typing, filing and data entry.
  • Organizing independent fundraising events like tag sales, movie nights, band concerts, dinners, and sports competitions to benefit BIC.
  • Translating documents and client communication remotely (mostly Spanish to English).
  • Assisting to staff quarterly workshops, (or donating food/supplies for them.)
  • Cleaning or helping to improve the Center’s physical appearance.
  • Tabling at social service fairs on behalf of BIC or, conducting outreach for us.

Other opportunities are on an infrequent, case-by-case basis:

  • Helping clients to prepare for naturalization exams, transporting them to appointments or accompanying them to access community resources.
  • Translating or interpreting for clients, especially in less common languages.
  • Student Internships/work-study programs.
  • Assisting clients in picking up furniture or assisting BIC in picking up donations for our tag sales.
  • Executing special projects independently as needed.
  • Researching and assistance in applying for grants.
  • Creating BIC materials (Graphic design/marketing.)

Finally, we receive many more requests for public presentations about BIC than we can answer.  It is our dream to have volunteers comfortable with speaking in public to help spread the word of what we do. This would require a commitment of multiple hours over at least 6 months and the ability to set up and execute at least 4 presentations on behalf of the center.

To determine whether volunteering will be a good fit for both of us, we ask you to be as specific as possible about what you hope to contribute. Our office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please be specific about the times you are available, i.e. days and hours of the week; weekly, monthly, etc.; and how long a commitment you can make. We ask for a minimum two to three months. If you have an idea for a specific project that would benefit the Center, please mention that as well.

All volunteers share a commitment to improving the lives of immigrants who live in Berkshire County and to accomplish that we require a level of professionalism that includes responsible attendance and confidentiality.

If you are interested, please complete the BIC Volunteer Application form and Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement below and return them, preferably by email, to volunteer@berkshireic.org.  You may also mail the completed forms to Berkshire Immigrant Center, St. Stephen’s Church, 67 East St., Pittsfield MA 01201.

Once we receive you application, we will add your name to our database and call upon you when a suitable opportunity arises. You may also receive emails about current needs and are welcome to check in with us every few months for new or special volunteer opportunities/ideas of your own.

Thank you so much for your interest and support of the Center!

Please email any questions to volunteer@berkshireic.org.

BIC Volunteer Application 2020

BIC Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement

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Important Links

  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • Immigration Law Help
  • Mass 211
  • Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
  • Massachusetts Justice Project
  • MERECEMOS IGUALDAD – POPULAR EDUCATION TOOLS ON DAPA, DACA & AMINISTRATIVE RELIEF
  • National Immigration Forum
  • National Immigration Law Center
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the World
  • United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • Welcoming Massachusetts

BIA Accredited

Since February 2014 the Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) has been accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). This designation enables BIC case workers to provide legal representation and make direct inquiries to USCIS on behalf of our clients. We are grateful to the following law firms for continuously supporting the Center as it implements BIA best practices to provide a high level of quality service and representation for our clients.

The Law Office of S. Michele Sisselman
Pittsfield & Chelsea MA
Tel. (617)-926-4898

Campoli & Monteleone

Best & Associates

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP

Contact Us:

The Berkshire Immigrant Center
67 East Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Tel: (413) 445-4881
Fax: (413) 445-4802
info@berkshireic.com

Parking:
Free parking is available on non-metered streets surrounding downtown and in front of our office on Allen st. for 1 to 3 hours or more as indicated by street signs. The streets near the court house (on the opposite side of the traffic circle from our office) provide up to 3 hours of free parking.
Metered parking by the hour is available on downtown streets and in city parking lots - many of which are close to our office.

Where to find us:
We are located on the 2nd floor of St. Stephen's Church, easily identifiable as the big brown church by the traffic circle in downtown Pittsfield. The Church's address is 67 East st., but our entrance is on Allen st. through the big red doors.

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