Frequently Asked Questions
Student Volunteers
What is this initiative?
UNMC CoRe: Covid Relief is an interdisciplinary student-run initiative designed to connect students and community members with opportunities to assist throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. We have launched several programs including providing childcare and pet care to healthcare workers on the frontline, streamlining PPE donations to facilities in need, and coordinating volunteers for community mask sewing.
Who is organizing?
This program is organized by a group of UNMC students in conjunction with the UNMC Incident Command System. We are looking for ways to link various parts of our community to healthcare families and community members who are seeking help.
Will volunteers be monetarily compensated for my time?
No. This program is voluntary and compensation is not to be expected. However, if healthcare workers ask that you run errands that require payment, they have been asked to provide full reimbursement to the volunteers.
What if I get paired to provide childcare or pet care to a family whose requests are outside of my comfort zone or the hours are too much for me to handle?
If you are facing difficulties such as requests that are beyond your scope or have any questions/concerns, please reach out to the student coordinators at unmccore@gmail.com. We will work with you and the family to either come up with a plan that works for everyone, or find another family to pair you with. We have intentionally placed you in pods of a few students to serve 1 healthcare family in order to minimize the burden on each student. The safety, health, and well-being of everyone involved is our primary concern.
What will the childcare & pet care pairings look like?
We expect the time needs of families to be larger than any individual student could/should manage on their own. Therefore, we hope to create small groups of students that will work together to fill the scheduling needs of 1 healthcare family in your geographic area. Volunteers and families will fill out applications indicating their preferences. We will then work to create these groups of students based on matching characteristics and locations. We will send an introduction email to the family and the student group. It will then be the responsibility of the family to let the students know their time requirements, and the students will coordinate to best cover the requested shifts.
What is the time commitment needed for child care & petcare?
Any time you are able to contribute is incredibly appreciated. There is no minimum or maximum time limits for volunteering. For childcare & pet care services, our families will surely appreciate any and all help that you can provide them. With this being said, please remember to take care of yourself during this time!
What is the time commitment needed for mask transportation?
Student volunteers are currently delivering mask materials and picking up finished masks from our community mask sewing members on Tuesday afternoons for a total of 2-3 hours each week.