Action Wellness

Causes Served: People living with chronic illness

Clearances Required: Yes

Background Check: Yes

Population Served: the LGBTQ community deaf and hard of hearing drug and alcohol addiction families immigrants mental health perinatal care individuals in the prison system women youth

Ages for Volunteer: 18+

Hours of Service: Varies

Minimum Hours Required: Varies

Days of Service: Varies

Mission Statement:

Action Wellness is a Philadelphia-based organization committed to helping people living with chronic illness. Our services include:

chronic illness treatment and prevention
free rapid health screenings (includes free HIV testing)
Medical Case Management
perinatal and family services
primary medical care
supportive housing services
mental and behavioral health
volunteer services
educational and vocational assistance

Continuing its legacy of providing support and a myriad of services for individuals living with HIV, Action Wellness now provides services to those living with chronic illness. Action Wellness staff, volunteers and board members work together to sustain and enhance the quality of life for the diverse community it serves.

Program History:

In September 1986, a group of 84 committed volunteers came together in Center City Philadelphia to form a community of care to provide services to people with AIDS. These were the partners, family, and friends of our founding volunteers. These volunteers acted, and ActionAIDS was founded. Rev. Jim Littrell became the first administrator of the new organization, Bob Schoenberg was the first Board President, and Anna Forbes was the first staff member. The mission statement simply read: “ActionAIDS believes that no one should face AIDS alone.”

In its first year of service, ActionAIDS helped over 100 people with AIDS. Since then, thanks to dedicated volunteers, talented staff, generous donors, and ongoing support from city, state, and federal agencies, ActionAIDS grew to become one of Pennsylvania’s largest AIDS service organization.

In June 2016, ActionAIDS expanded and rebranded so that it could bring the same quality of medical case management, caring family atmosphere, and expertise to a broader base of clients.

Today, Action Wellness continues the ActionAIDS legacy of providing steadfast support to people living with HIV/AIDS. Having expanded its reach of opportunities to provide assistance, it is now helping people suffering from all chronic illnesses to gain access to the healthcare services they need.

Each year, Action Wellness serves over 4,000 clients through the efforts of over 400 dedicated volunteers and 100 professional staff. Our volunteers and staff focus on building relationships one person and one family at a time. Our services are relationship focused, client centered, and individualized. The work of Action Wellness continues to build a strong, diverse, and committed community of caring to make sure that no one faces their illness alone.

Additional Information:

Volunteer must be 18 years of age and out of High school!

The Buddy Program at Action Wellness provides volunteers who supply emotional support, companionship, and occasional assistance with the tasks of daily living within a mutually agreed-upon schedule of contact. Action Wellness provides preliminary training and ongoing peer support for Buddies throughout their service. The Action Wellness Buddy Program is one of the oldest and largest Buddy programs in the US, with more than 200 dedicated Buddies serving over 250 individuals and families each year.

If you are interested in making a meaningful contribution to the life of a person with a chronic illness, please click "Apply Now" to complete the volunteer application form.