Across the United States, more than 500,000 business leaders, community advocates, parents, teens and individuals who want to give back and support their neighbors volunteer at the Y. That’s because in 10,000 neighborhoods nationwide we have the presence and partnerships to not just promise, but deliver positive, personal and social change.

To help ensure the safety of everyone in our programs, the YMCA has several state-mandated and YMCA-related policy requirements that volunteers are required to fulfill:

• Volunteers who help out with one-time events such as 5K races or triathlons, swim meets, etc. are required to complete our One Time / Non-Youth Volunteer Form; please make sure to submit the completed form in its entirety (front and back) to your YMCA contact before you volunteer.
  • One Time / Non-Youth Volunteer Form

• Volunteers who help out with multiple events, on a consistent basis, or in a capacity working directly with any of our youth, wellness, or senior programs are required to complete our Volunteer Packet; submit PA State Police, PA Child Abuse, and FBI clearances from within the past six months; and complete two abuse prevention and reporting trainings detailed below.  Please also review our Volunteer Handbook prior to volunteering so you can discuss any questions or concerns with your volunteer supervisor; you will need to sign and turn in the acknowledgment page.
  • Download a Volunteer Application Here
  • Volunteer Handbook

• Volunteers who are interested in serving on a branch advisory committee or Board of Directors should contact the appropriate director to learn more about the requirements:
  • YMCA of Centre County Board of Directors: Development Director, Theresa Mast, [email protected]
  • Bellefonte Branch: Branch Director, Shawn Thompson, [email protected]
  • Moshannon Valley Branch: Branch Director, Mel Curtis, [email protected]
  • Penns Valley Program Center: Program Center Director, Liz Toukonen, [email protected]
  • State College Branch: Development Director, Theresa Mast, [email protected] 

Clearances/Trainings: 

Clearances: To learn more about how to obtain PA Criminal and Child Abuse History clearances for free as a volunteer, please read over our Volunteer Clearance Instructions. FBI clearances for volunteers can be obtained through IdentoGo. If you have been a Pennsylvania resident for the past ten years or more consecutively, you are exempt from the FBI clearance requirement as long as you submit a signed affidavit. The YMCA cannot reimburse volunteers for any costs associated with obtaining these clearances.

• Volunteer Clearance Instructions
• FBI Affidavit

Within 30 days of beginning to volunteer, you are expected to have completed a Mandated Reporter Training and at least registered for a Stewards of Children training.

The Mandated Reporter Training reviews your legal obligations to report suspected child abuse. The University of Pittsburgh offers a free online course; please submit a copy of your certificate when you have completed it: www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu.  We do not accept the Penn State equivalent of this training as the university is not a state-approved provider. Therefore, its training will not fulfil YMCA-related requirements set forth by the child protective services law.

The Stewards of Children Training discusses how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  Training dates and online training information are available on our website: http://www.ymcaofcentrecounty.org/programs/social-responsibility/stewards-of-children/.  You may e-mail Jamie SanFilippo, Director of Community Outreach, to register for an upcoming training: [email protected]

For additional information regarding volunteer paperwork, please contact:

Emilie Hettinger
Marketing and Communications Director
[email protected]
814-355-5551