Canvas
Buddies
Our Canvas Buddies provides one-on-one support to children and students with disabilities so they can better participate during our Sunday morning experiences.
Buddies will be available during our 9AM and 11AM Sunday experiences at our Alachua Campus and are assigned to your child according to your child’s specific needs.
Help Us Get To Know Your Child
Our Canvas Buddy Intake Form helps our team get to know your child and understand how we can best support them.
This is the first step to helping us pair your child with there perfect Canvas Buddy.
Buddy Request For This Sunday
This form helps us plan buddy support for our upcoming services. If your child will be attending and would benefit from a Buddy, please take a moment to let us know which service you’ll be attending. This allows us to make sure we have the right support in place and helps Sundays run smoothly for everyone.
Submitting this form by Thursday helps us best prepare for Sunday, but last-minute changes are always okay.
More Questions?
We’re here to help! If you have any questions, please contact lauren@canvasfl.com for more information.
Become A Canvas Buddy
We’re always looking for compassionate people who want to help children and students feel known, included, and loved at Canvas. If you have a heart for serving children and students with disabilities, we’d love for you to join the Canvas Buddy team!
Become A Buddy→
Frequently Asked Questions
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A Canvas Buddy is a trained volunteer who provides one-on-one support to children and students with disabilities, helping them participate in church in a way that works best for them. Our heart is for every child to feel safe, supported, included, and loved while they’re at Canvas.
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Canvas Buddies are available for children and students from preschool through high school who may benefit from additional support while participating in church.
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If you think your child would benefit from a Buddy, the first step is to fill out our Buddy Request Form. Once we receive your request, a member of our team will connect with you about what comes next.
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The Buddy Intake Form helps our team get to know your child and understand how we can best support them. Sharing information about communication, sensory needs, interests, routines, and helpful strategies allows us to create a more comfortable and positive experience for your child.
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Every child is different, so the support a Buddy provides will be based on your child’s individual needs. This might include helping with transitions, participating in activities, offering encouragement, supporting communication, using sensory tools, or simply helping your child feel comfortable, connected, and included.
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The more we know about your child, the better we can support them! We encourage you to share anything that will help us understand what makes your child feel comfortable and successful, including their communication style, sensory needs, interests, routines, calming strategies, and other helpful information.
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Our Buddy team will do their best to help your child feel calm, safe, and supported in a way that works for them. If your child needs you or additional support is needed, we’ll reach out to you.
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To help protect both your child and our volunteers, we’ll contact you if your child needs assistance with toileting, changing clothes, or other personal care needs.
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We’re always looking for compassionate people who want to help children and students feel known, included, and loved at Canvas. If you have a heart for serving children and students with disabilities, we’d love for you to join the Canvas Buddy team!
As you complete our serving form, select “Canvas Buddies” as your Serving Area.