ALACHUA COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Alachua County Crisis Center has put out an open call for folks who’d like to help their community by becoming volunteer counselors for its crisis line.
The Alachua County Crisis Center offers multiple crisis and suicide intervention services to county residents, including mobile response care teams, ongoing counseling and emergency walk-in services, but perhaps the most critical and immediate help they offer is through their 24/7 crisis lines, which field approximately 45,000 calls per year. Roughly 9,000 of those calls are directed from national resource the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
What’s more, the Crisis Center’s 311 Critical Information Line offers information and support during community crises and disasters.
The Crisis Center holds regular, flexible training classes to equip volunteers with all the skills they need to deliver powerful help in crucial times. (Though the website does note that applicants are carefully screened before and during the training process.)
The next training class begins on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
“After the initial session, training continues for eight weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and three four-hour sessions that can be flexibly scheduled around participant availability,” read an announcement. “There is no fee for training, and applicants do not need to possess any specific degrees or certifications.”
More information is available at the Alachua County Crisis Center’s “How to Volunteer” web page or contact Alachua County Crisis Center Trainer Jerry Macdaid at 352-264-6781 or gpmacdaid@alachuacounty.gov.
“Make a difference in your community at the Alachua County Crisis Center,” said Macdaid in a statement. “Volunteering is an opportunity to impact the lives of fellow community members and gain life-enhancing communication skills.”