Greatness is truly determined by service, and we appreciate all the great volunteers who served with Five Rivers MetroParks in 2021. Together we have made a difference! 576 volunteers served a total of 11,807 hours for a total dollar value of $290,452.00. Additionally, 250 Adopt-A-Park Service kits were distributed to support safe litter pick up throughout the community by 363 volunteers in April.
All volunteer service hours for 2021 have now been entered into Get Connected, you can view your updated hours today! As a thank you for your service, we will be offering annual service pins again this year for all our long-term volunteers who have served 25 hours or more. We appreciate you and all you do for Five Rivers MetroParks! We hope you will wear your service pins on your volunteer lanyard, hat, or t-shirt whenever you volunteer with us. Service pins will be mailed to volunteers or available for pick up very soon.
New for 2022, we have welcomed our new Get Connected volunteer platform available at www.metroparks.org/volunteer. This new platform will be a big help to our Volunteer Services team, our Staff Leads, and our entire agency by allowing us to:
- recruit and onboard new volunteers 24 hours a day/7 day a week
- provide high-quality online volunteer training to better prepare volunteers for service
- build and maintain accurate volunteer profiles including skills, interests, and experience to better engage volunteers
- accurately track volunteer service to facilitate reporting for external agency funding through sponsorships and grants
- provide necessary data for internal budgeting for tools, supplies, training, and staff time to support volunteers.
For our volunteers, Get Connected offers plenty of benefits as well including:
- the ability to view all opportunities for service throughout our agency
- access timely information and high-quality training
- easily track their volunteer hours through online signup and check-in
- view the growing impact of their service on their Dashboard and Volunteer Resume
- earn incentives through our new Volunteer Incentive Program including new volunteer t-shirts, hats, and more!
We would like to thank all our dedicated staff leads and volunteers who supported this effort by serving as site pilot testers. These individuals took additional time to review the site and the site training materials, ask questions, provide suggestions, and troubleshoot the site to help us make improvements before the site went LIVE! Thanks to all our site pilot testers, we have so far had a very smooth yet exciting site launch. Since January 1st we have had:
- 615 Volunteer Position Views
- 106 Staff Lead/Position Manager Logins
- 307 New Users Added
- 976 User Logins
- 2,921 Volunteer Opportunity Views
- 309 Volunteer Responses/Sign Ups
- 267.40 Volunteer Hours Logged
- $6,578.29 Value of Volunteer Hours Served
Long-term volunteers who completed their site training and qualifications by December 31st will receive a brand-new volunteer t-shirt as a thank you for supporting the new site and committing to ongoing volunteer service. Volunteer Services will be reaching out to coordinate T-shirt pick up very soon.
Get Connected Help Sessions
Get Connected Help Sessions are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays starting February 15 and will run until March 10. These in-person sessions are designed to help you with your Get Connected volunteer account and show you how to sign-up for a volunteer shift, track volunteer hours, register for volunteer training, and more!
We recommend bringing your own laptop/tablet (and power cord) and a pre-filled water bottle. If you don't have a laptop/tablet one can be provided for you.
For the safety of staff and volunteers, these in-person sessions are limited to 4 participants per 1-hour time slot and will adhere to the following Covid safety guidelines:
- Facial coverings are required indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
- Deep cleaning and sanitizing of shared workspaces, equipment, and hands will continue.
- Volunteers are encouraged to monitor their own health and stay home if feeling ill.
- Volunteers who are unvaccinated and receive a positive COVID-19 test result should notify Volunteer Services.
Visit the Training and Events page to register for a session. We look forward to seeing you!
The Adventure Summit Needs Volunteers!
The Adventure Summit volunteers get to be part of one of the most exciting outdoor recreation events in the region. With more than 60 inspirational and educational programs, workshops and clinics, competitions, an exposition area, and featured speakers, the event team needs your help!
Five Rivers MetroParks and Wright State University are seeking dedicated, enthusiastic individuals, to help at The Adventure Summit. Volunteer opportunities are available for everyone the only requirement is that you are willing to have a great time while being immersed in outdoor culture.
Shifts are available within the following windows:
Saturday, February 12, 7:30 am-8 pm
Join us and volunteer at The Adventure Summit! Click here to see all the opportunities and sign up!
Additional Opportunities
With each week, more opportunities will become available, so please check to see what might be of interest. Here is the easy link to start exploring!
Looking for a life-changing experience? If you or someone you know is looking for a fun, ongoing opportunity to serve youth in an educational setting where you will receive so much more than you give, consider joining Notre Dame Mission Volunteers as an Americorps member at Adventure Central. Adventure Central, a partnership between The Ohio State University Extension, 4-H, and Five Rivers MetroParks, empowers youth in West Dayton to become healthier, happier, and more successful through nature exploration, homework assistance, and a wide variety of after school educational programs that strengthen values, develop long-term positive relationships and build lasting life skills to create caring, capable and contributing citizens of tomorrow. Learn more and apply to be an Americorps member here. Applications are due February 11th for this year's service!
Volunteers are always needed at Adventure Central too! Sign up to support the program as a volunteer here.
Pictured are volunteers Penny Marsh and Marleen Ohlwiler assisting with sewing projects at Carriage Hill Historic Farm.
TECH TIP!
Updating your interests, skills, and availability in your Profile on Get Connected will help the site and your volunteer coordinators match you with volunteer opportunities that meet your specific interests, skills, and availability to serve. Opportunities to volunteer with skilled trades like historic woodworking and blacksmithing, sewing and textiles are coming soon!
MetroParks Alerts
During, and immediately, following periods of severe weather, some areas of MetroParks facilities may not be available for use. These areas will be reopened as soon as possible after such an event. We follow a reopening plan that has been developed to best protect and best serve the majority of visitors as quickly as possible. Check www.metroparks.org/alerts to learn about the latest park closures or delays.
Volunteer Services
Volunteer Services is available if you have questions or need assistance in signing up. Contact us at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or (937) 275-7275.
Volunteer Services Direct Contact Information:
Allie Zimmerman - Parks & Conservation #(937) 274-3176
Candy Holloway - Horticulture & Sustainability #(937) 275-5006
Janelle Leonard - Business Operations & Visitor Services #(937) 277-5445
Yvonne Dunphe - Outdoor Connections Programming #(937) 277-4147
Jenny Hymans - Human Resources Manager of Volunteer Services #(937) 567-1413
Mobile app makes it easier to explore the outdoors!
MetroParks' mobile app, powered by OuterSpatial, is free and available for both iPhone and Android devices. It includes offline mapping and navigation - and access continues even without a cell phone signal.
Use the app to plan your park visit, navigate the trails, take self-guided tours, find amenities and points of interest, and much more.
Stay active outdoors with resources on Nature is Open blog, social media
Five Rivers MetroParks' Nature Is Open blog includes articles about kid-friendly trails, Backyard Bingo cards, nature-based activities, and much more! Follow MetroParks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more resources aimed at helping families connect with nature and stay active outdoors.
