It's Fall in your MetroParks and we have some great volunteer opportunities for you to get outside and make a difference this season! Check out Fall Family Adventure, Make A Difference Day, Barn Aide Training at the Carriage Hill Riding Center, and more in this issue of the Five Rivers MetroParks Volunteer Newsletter.
Fall Family Adventure: Saturday, October 8th
Is the crisp air of fall, the crunching of leaves, and pumpkins YOUR favorite time of the year? Do you enjoy teaching others about nature and the outdoors? Maybe creating seasonal crafts is your passion?
Join Five Rivers Metroparks education staff Saturday, October 8th at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroParks and kick off the harvest season at this year's Fall Family Adventure!
There's still time to sign up for a volunteer shift at this annual, family-friendly event. Programs and events like these offer families and children the opportunity to be an active part of our mission, inspiring a love for nature and a dedication to protecting it. Volunteers just like YOU ensure we are able to continue to offer these experiences to families and children in safe, fun, and engaging ways. As a volunteer at this event, you'll sign up to support set up, tear down, check-in, or program support for a variety of family-friendly activities.
We need YOUR help at this event. We have a high need for program support volunteers. View the volunteer opportunities available and sign up to volunteer here:
Make A Difference Day: Saturday, October 22nd
Looking for a great way to get outside and give back with your family, friends, or coworkers this Fall season? Join us Saturday, October 22nd from 9 AM to noon for Make a Difference Day at Five Rivers MetroParks! Community members of all ages will work at various sites throughout Five Rivers MetroParks to help us clean up our parks and prepare for the winter season. Projects include Litter Clean-up, Habitat Maintenance, Farm Chores, Invasive Species Removal, Trail Work, Tree Planting, and much more! Click the button below to view available projects in Get Connected, register your family, friends, or work group, and get everyone outside to make a difference!
Click the volunteer button below to view available projects in Get Connected, register your family, friends, or your work group, and get everyone outside to make a difference this Fall with MetroParks!
Look for more great volunteer opportunities and training opportunities this season below!
Volunteer Positions & Upcoming Opportunities
Check out these great volunteer opportunities available this month across your Five Rivers MetroParks! See something that interests you, but have questions? Contact a Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or call#937-275-7275.
Looking for opportunities where we need the most help right now? View our high-need, high-priority opportunities here.
Don't forget to FAN the Volunteer Positions you support. When you FAN a volunteer position you receive a weekly digest email for that position that includes new volunteer opportunities. It also lets your Volunteer Services team know that you are interested in that position and its opportunities.
Gardening
Fall is for Gardeners!
Enjoy being outside in the cooler temperatures while volunteering alongside horticulture staff in caring for a variety of gardens throughout MetroParks. Learn about seasonal plantings and garden maintenance needs for your home garden while assisting us as we prepare the landscape for winter. If you are interested in being a garden volunteer, you can learn more about those opportunities here in Get Connected. Don't forget to "Fan" the Gardening volunteer position to receive the updates on our current volunteer opportunities in the gardens!
Animal Care
Calling all Horse Lovers! Fall Onboarding for new Carriage Hill Riding Center Volunteers:
Do you love being around horses? Don't mind getting your hands a bit dirty? Consider joining our team of Carriage Hill Riding Center Volunteers! Barn Aide Volunteers assist with essential daily tasks of our equestrian facility such as cleaning stalls, turning horses out to pasture, and providing them with fresh food and water. All new Riding Center volunteers begin as Barn Aide, and then can complete additional training to assist with Pony Rides, Lessons, Camps, and Trail Rides. This opportunity is open to volunteers age 14 or older. Click here to sign up for a Barn Aide training this fall.
Programming
Do you love Carriage Hill's Historic Farm?
Become a Historic Interpreter! If you have a love of local history, getting back to simpler times, and engaging the public then you may want to learn more about the opportunities with the Carriage Hill Historic Farm. Learn more about becoming a Historic Interpreter on the Daniel Arnold Historic Farm at Carriage Hill MetroPark and begin training as a Historic Interpreter volunteer by clicking the volunteer button below:
Support the 2nd Street Market this Season! Variety of Opportunities Available:
- Market Program Assistant volunteers enhance the market experience by offering interactive activities for visitors based on seasonal themes such as fresh produce tastings, games, or crafts.
- Market Ambassador volunteers will be stationed near the entrance and will greet visitors, conduct sales of MetroParks merchandise, provide wayfinding assistance, and promote the MetroParks by passing out literature.
- Roaming Market Greeters will rove throughout the Market greeting, welcoming, and interacting with people. Volunteers will provide wayfinding assistance and promote the MetroParks by passing out literature, as well as acting as a second set of eyes and ears for emergency situations.
Opportunities to Support Our Partners
Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation
Gift and Garden Shop
Foundation volunteers are needed to support the Gift and Garden Shop, located at the 2nd Street Market. Proceeds from the gift shop support special projects and programs at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. For more information or to get started as a Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation volunteer, please contact the foundation at contact@wegerzyngardensfoundation.org.
RETREET is a program of Keep America Beautiful that redefines disaster relief by engaging communities to replant lost trees. To date, 6,301 native and noninvasive trees have been planted, at no cost, for families rebuilding their neighborhoods in the wake of disaster across North America through RETREET.
On October 22nd, 2022, the RETREET team will be in the Miami Valley planting trees for families deep in the recovery process following the 2019 tornados. Volunteers from all over the country will participate in the event. We need local volunteers to join us on planting day, and that means YOU! Participation is FREE but registration is required. Please sign up directly with RETREET through the volunteer web portal here: https://www.retreet.org/volunteer. If you have any questions, please email them to jirby@kab.org.
Volunteers Needed!
Help us spread the word about all the ways you can make a difference as a Five Rivers MetroParks volunteer:
- Print and post this volunteer flyer on community boards at your favorite coffee shop, at the office, or at your school!
- Share the opportunities you support on your favorite social media. Each time you sign up for a volunteer opportunity, Get Connected will ask you if you would like to share that opportunity on social media.
- Plan a single or recurring group volunteer day with your coworkers, community group, club, friends, or neighbors! Request a project here.
Tech Tips for Volunteers
FAN the Volunteer Positions you are most interested in by selecting the FAN button. When you FAN a volunteer position you receive a weekly digest email for that position that includes new volunteer opportunities. It also lets your Volunteer Services team know that you are interested in that position and its opportunities.
NEW! Five Rivers MetroParks Volunteers are invited to attend a tech training with Dayton Metro Library!
Internet Basics / Get Connected Training Class for Volunteers
Wednesday, November 2nd, 1:00 - 3:00 PM at Dayton Metro Library, Main Branch
Registration Required. Details below.
Would you like to sharpen your computer skills? Volunteer Services is partnering with the Dayton Metro Library's technology department to offer a class exclusively for MetroParks volunteers. The first half of the class will focus on Internet Basics and will provide instructions on how to connect to the internet, how to use different browsers and search engines, and more. The second part will be a demonstration of Five Rivers MetroParks' Volunteer Website, Get Connected and how you can view volunteer opportunities, create an account, and complete virtual qualifications and training. Staff will provide one on one support after the presentation portion has been completed. Library computers will be available to practice on, but we encourage you to bring your own device so we can customize your experience: laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Registration required. RSVP on Get Connected here or call #937-275-7275 and ask to speak with a Volunteer Coordinator to register.
"Thank you all! It was an amazing weekend and one that helped connect people to nature and highlighted Five Rivers MetroParks as The Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest! The energy was amazing and everyone played a crucial role to help it all come together. Thanks again for going the extra mile to make this weekend so special for the community."-Brent Anslinger, Outdoor Recreation Program Manager
Thank YOU for volunteering!
As a thank you, those who volunteer 25 hours or more in 2022, qualify to receive our brand new volunteer t-shirt. Contact volunteer.services@metroparks.org for details.
