If you enjoy parks and have some skills, time, and enthusiasm to share, you’ll make a great Parks Volunteer!
Click on each link to learn more about each type of volunteering:
In General:
Family volunteering is a great way to spend time together and give back to the community. In Montgomery Parks, our Family Volunteer program seeks to get work done while allowing younger family members to help to the best of their ability. One example of a popular Family Volunteer job is our Blue Bird Monitor position; weekly visits to assigned boxes to collect simple data can involve many family members – even those who need to be lifted up to peer in and count the number of eggs in a nest. Babies, toddlers and young children can come along, older children can help more substantially but an adult is registered and responsible for the completion of all tasks and for others in the family. Make sure you discuss your particular situation with the supervisor in advance; their decision about the suitability of a given assignment for family volunteering is made on a case-by-case basis. Click here to search for opportunities for children and families.
There are many types of student volunteers – the key is to make sure you understand the parameters of your requirement and communicate that with us.
Eagle Projects and Montgomery Parks are a natural fit! We are fortunate to get dozens of requests for Eagle Projects each year. Unfortunately due to the sheer number of applicants, we are not able to accommodate all who apply. Demonstrating maturity, excellent planning skills, and having a well-considered and worthy project will increase the odds that a Scout’s project will be approved. The Volunteer Services Office (VSO) often acts as a go-between Park Staff and Scouts, and our primary objective is to make sure that communication between the Scout and our Staff is as effective as possible.
Before contacting staff or applying for the Eagle Scout Volunteer Job opportunity, please follow the link below to see the guidelines we want Scouts to follow to guarantee a successful Eagle Project! (Eagle Guidelines).
Do you have a mandated service requirement to fulfill due to a court order or on are coming to us on the recommendation of an attorney? We try to find volunteer placements for youth from Montgomery County’s Teen Court; or for individuals 18 or older, from the Alternative Community Service (ACS) office through Montgomery County’s Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, but we do not allow individuals outside of these programs to volunteer with Montgomery Parks.
Teen Court participants should be the ones to contact us – not their parent or guardian. ACS participant’s service requirement is arranged through their counselor and Park Staff. If you are interested in ACS, the number to call is 240-777-5444. There is a fee. ACS volunteers typically work during the week with our Park Maintenance crews outdoors (not at our nature centers, sports arenas, events or gardens). Contact our office at 301-495-2504 to discuss further.
If neither of these options apply to your situation, you can go to the Montgomery County’s Volunteer Center’s website at Montgomery Serves . Use their Find A Volunteer Opportunity form, and click on “Advanced” search. There is a field to narrow down those agencies that accept court-ordered volunteers.
There are many different kinds of volunteer groups and each is unique. The make up of your group, date range and location preference influence the types of opportunities that may be available for your group. Most groups participate in short term service projects – like park clean ups, trail workdays or non-native invasive plant pulls. Others develop a long-term relationship with parks and organize many volunteer projects and services over several years. The key to a quality experience for your group and our organization is advance planning and a sincere desire to help. We do have some opportunities available to groups, but often times we work with groups to customize a project that meets both the Park’s needs and the organizations needs, be it team building, a desire to clean up the environment or several other possibilities.
Many youth organizations perform service projects as part of a learning or enrichment experience and Parks are wonderful places for that! Youth groups must have an adult contact and appropriate adult supervision while working in parks.
Join the hundreds of community organizations that help out in parks each year. We will need a contact person who will be responsible for working out details and communicating between Parks staff and group members.
Let us know what you’re interested in by completing an online application. Or if you prefer, contact the staff person listed with each opportunity to get more details before applying.
The Volunteer Services Office is always happy to assist you in this process, so if you’re having difficulty, please don’t hesitate to contact us at parksvolunteers@montgomeryparks.org or at 301-495-2504.
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