Opportunities From: Five Rivers MetroParks

Do you love spending your weekend in the vibrant, bubbling atmosphere of 2nd Street Market, where you always end up running into a familiar face? Volunteers will be stationed near the entrance and will enhance the visitor experience by greeting and welcoming visitors. Volunteers will also conduct sales of MetroParks merchandise, process EBT sales, provide wayfinding assistance, and promote the MetroParks by passing out literature.

Impact

Volunteers enhance the visitor experience and help curate the Market’s unique, vibrant culture for our customers who then support our vendors in providing sustainable local food to the community.

Tasks Welcome customers as they arrive and thank them as they leave Assist with wayfinding and answer basic questions about the parks Distribute brochures or other literature appropriate to the conversation Conduct credit card sales of MetroParks merchandise Process SNAP/EBT sales through a token exchange program.Process Market merchandise sales, on occasion, through a Point of Sale program.Assist with facilitating the Senior Nutrition Program.Eligibility

This opportunity is open to the following volunteers: Long-Term and Short-Term.  Learn more about our types of service here.

Additional Notes Parking & Meeting Instructions: Volunteers may park in the visitor parking lots surrounding the Market. Cancelation:  If you need to cancel a shift last minute or are running late, please call the 2nd Street Market manager, Lynda Suda, at 937-228-2088Environment & Physical Demands: Light physical duties include standing, sitting, and possibly light lifting to refill marketing materialDress: Please wear your volunteer name badge and, if you have one, your green or blue volunteer T-shirt. Reusable volunteer vests will be provided for volunteers onsite. The spot by the door may be cool in the winter and warm in the summer. Please dress accordingly. Other New Volunteers will be given an on-site orientation and shadow staff at the beginning of their first shift. This orientation will include training on Market merchandise sales as well as SNAP/EBT sales. Volunteers may have downtime, so feel free to bring a book, knitting, crossword, sudoku, etc. Look for additional details about this opportunity at the bottom of this listing! See the Ambassador Volunteer Position Description for more detailed information.

Share your love and enthusiasm for the Arboretum with park patrons! Help enhance the visitor experience by greeting, welcoming, and interacting with a variety of diverse audiences and recommending all the best things to see and do while visiting the park.

Impact

Visitor Center Ambassadors share their enthusiasm for Five Rivers MetroParks with diverse audiences at the Visitor Centers at Carriage Hill and Cox Arboretum MetroParks. Ambassadors are often the first friendly faces a visitor sees welcoming them to the park and can be counted on to share helpful information and answer a variety of questions.

TasksProvide excellent customer service by welcoming and directing visitors throughout the park and visitor center.Answer questions about MetroParks. Distribute brochures or other literature appropriate to the conversation.Provide guest assistance while Visitor Services staff is on break. (You will not be asked to answer phones.)Eligibility This opportunity is open to the following volunteers: Long-Term, Short-Term, and Youth ages 16 and up. Learn more about our types of service here. Additional Notes Parking & Meeting Instructions: Parking can be found in the visitor parking lots in front of the visitor center located at 6733 N. Springboro Pike. Cancelation:  If you need to cancel a shift last minute or are running late, please call Visitor Services Manager Jonathan Gray at 937-499-4270 or 937-275-7275 Environment & Physical Demands: ​​This opportunity involves sitting at the volunteer desk for periods for periods of time. Volunteers may want to stand for periods to speak with guests or show them to specific areas or give directions. Volunteers may choose to station themselves outside the visitor center for some or all of their shifts. Dress: Please wear your volunteer name badge and, if you have one, your green or blue volunteer shirt. The temperature in the atrium stays cool or warm in alignment with the weather, so please dress accordingly. If choosing to station outside of the visitor center, a volunteer safety vest must be worn.  Look for additional details about this opportunity at the bottom of this listing! See the Ambassador Volunteer Position for more information on Ambassador volunteer opportunities with us.

Share your love and enthusiasm for Carriage Hill with park patrons! Help enhance the visitor experience by greeting, welcoming, and interacting with a variety of diverse audiences and recommending all the best things to see and do while visiting the farm.

Impact

Visitor Center Ambassadors share their enthusiasm for Five Rivers MetroParks with diverse audiences at the Visitor Centers at Carriage Hill and Cox Arboretum MetroParks. Ambassadors are often the first friendly faces a visitor sees welcoming them to the park and can be counted on to share helpful information and answer a variety of questions.

Tasks Provide excellent customer service by welcoming and directing visitors throughout the park and visitor center. Answer questions about MetroParks. Distribute brochures or other literature appropriate to the conversation.Provide guest assistance while Visitor Services staff is on break. (You will not be asked to answer phones.) Eligibility This opportunity is open to the following volunteers: Long-Term, Short-Term, and Youth ages 16 and up. Learn more about our types of service here. Additional Notes Parking & Meeting Instructions: Parking can be found in the visitor parking lots in front of the visitor center located at 7800 E. Shull Rd.  Cancelation:  If you need to cancel a shift last minute or are running late, please call Visitor Services Manager Jonathan Gray at 937-499-4270 or 937-275-7275 Environment & Physical Demands: ​​This opportunity involves sitting at the volunteer desk for periods of time. Volunteers may want to stand for periods to speak with guests or show them to specific areas or give directions. Volunteers may choose to station themselves outside the visitor center for some or all of their shift. Dress: Please wear your volunteer name badge and, if you have one, your green or blue volunteer shirt. The temperature in the visitor center can vary in alignment with the weather, so please dress accordingly. If choosing to station outside of the visitor center, a volunteer safety vest must be worn.  Look for additional details about this opportunity at the bottom of this listing! See the Ambassador Volunteer Position for more information on Ambassador volunteer opportunities with us.

Join Five Rivers MetroParks as we welcome cycling enthusiasts for tasty pancakes, friends, and music at the region's largest celebration of cycling as a means of transportation in the Miami Valley!

If you love events, chatting with people, and helping to ensure they have a good experience, then this is the opportunity for you. We're looking for Event Ambassadors for this year's Bike to Work Day Pancake Celebration on Friday, May 15th at RiverScape MetroPark to help greet event participants, answer questions, assist with wayfinding, and generate excitement ensuring a fun and smooth event for all.

Impact

Volunteers will be a part of the event team celebrating the positive impacts human-powered transportation can have on the body, the community, and the wellbeing of the planet. Your support makes events like this possible!

Tasks

Greet guests and welcome them to Riverscape and to Bike to Work DayDirect participants to the registration and food service linesBe sure to point out our waste stations and let participants know about our waste-free initiativeAnswer general questions about the eventYou are the face of MetroParks at this event - smile, be enthusiastic, and enjoy the event!Assist with general event tear down from 9:00-9:30am

Eligibility:  This opportunity is open to Long-Term, Short-Term, and Public volunteers ages 18 and up.  Simply click the blue RESPOND button to sign up or click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer. 

Background Check: We do not require a background check for our public volunteer opportunities; however, persons with a criminal record may be disqualified and prohibited from service. Please review our background check policy here. 

Additional Notes

Parking & Meeting Instructions: Volunteers should park at Five Rivers MetroParks headquarters, 409 E. Monument Ave, Dayton, OH 45402. Volunteers will need to prominently display their Volunteer Parking Hang tag or a MetroParks Parking Pass. CLICK HERE TO PRINT YOUR VOLUNTEER PARKING PASS. Then, walk to RiverScape MetroPark and check in with the Volunteer Services team located next to the rentals office. Cancellation: While cancelling a shift is discouraged, if you need to cancel a shift last minute or are running late, please notify staff lead Chris Buck, at 937-567-4405 and/or your Volunteer Services team at volunteer.services@metroparks.org. Environment & Physical Demands: ​​​Physical duties include standing for long periods, bending, lifting and reaching.If you would like to request a service accommodation in order to volunteer at this opportunity, please contact Volunteer Services at least 1 week before the scheduled opportunity. Dress: Please dress for the weather and wear closed-toe shoes. Volunteers are encouraged to wear their blue or green volunteer apparel. Reusable volunteer vests and event nametags will be provided at volunteer check in onsite.

See the Ambassador Volunteer Position Description for more information. Have questions or need help getting started? Contact Volunteer Services at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or #937-275-7275 or join us at a Volunteer Open House.