Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer opportunities
Simply Smiles continues to suspend volunteer travel to our program locations in Oaxaca, Mexico and on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota.
We are not yet able to bring back our volunteer opportunities, and we likely won’t be able to do so for several years. On-the-ground volunteer efforts were instrumental in getting us to where we are now and formed a cornerstone for what we have built in Mexico and on the Reservation. As Simply Smiles expands and our needs change, we look forward to exploring how we can implement and provide meaningful volunteer opportunities again.
For more details, please refer to the FAQ section below.
FAQs about volunteering with Simply Smiles
When can we volunteer again with Simply Smiles?
We’re not yet ready to announce when our volunteers will be able to return.
We encourage you to sign up for Volunteer Updates below and you’ll be the first to know when Simply Smiles volunteer experiences become available again.
What will the Simply Smiles Volunteer Programs look like when they return?
You can expect the kind of meaningful, respectful, and impactful volunteer experience that Simply Smiles is known for!
Since 2003, thousands of Simply Smiles volunteers have helped to shape our work and have played a vital role in making possible the newly focused, first-of-its-kind mission of Simply Smiles: Building and managing Simply Smiles Children’s Villages.
We’re eager to work side-by-side with our incredible volunteers once again. When Simply Smiles volunteer opportunities return, your presence at our program locations in Mexico and on the Reservation will help to build, expand, and operate our Simply Smiles Children’s Villages. For now, we ask for your continued patience.
We encourage you to sign up for Volunteer Updates below and you’ll be the first to know when Simply Smiles volunteer experiences become available again.
I understand that you're not accepting volunteer teams now...but, my volunteer team wants to begin planning for a trip, whenever that may be. Can we reserve a week for our trip? And, who should we contact?
Thanks for your enthusiasm! At this time, we can’t give you a definitive timeframe of when volunteer teams can return.
We encourage you to sign up for Volunteer Updates below and you’ll be the first to know when Simply Smiles volunteer experiences become available again.
I'm an individual who is fully vaccinated. Can I volunteer on the Reservation or in Mexico with Simply Smiles?
Unfortunately, not at this time. Thank you for your patience and your understanding. There will be opportunities for you to volunteer at Simply Smiles program locations in the future. Be sure you are signed up for Volunteer Updates below so that you are the first to know about the return of Simply Smiles volunteer programs.
Is the Simply Smiles team traveling during this time?
Simply Smiles staff members, its board members, advisors, and other team members continue to travel to our program locations as is necessary to manage the work of Simply Smiles. However, all Simply Smiles travel is being minimized and special precautions are being taken. For example, when US-based Simply Smiles staff recently traveled to Mexico to renew visas, they were not permitted to engage directly with the children in our care at the Oaxaca Children's Village.
Will I need to get the COVID-19 vaccine to serve as a Simply Smiles volunteer?
Yes. When Simply Smiles volunteer opportunities are open again, we will be requiring that all volunteers provide evidence of full and current vaccination for COVID-19 (as well as any other required vaccinations as required for traveling to Simply Smiles program locations, e.g. tetanus.)