Opportunities From: Five Rivers MetroParks

The Dayton Celtic Festival is back this year! Lend your helping hands behind the scenes to support those who work to make it happen! Volunteers are needed to oversee the hospitality room that will supply lunch and dinner to Five Rivers MetroParks staff and volunteers.

Impact

Special Event volunteers serve a critical role in ensuring that each special event or large-scale program runs smoothly from set up to tear down. 

Tasks

In an indoor environment, greet staff and volunteers as they arrive.  Refill snacks and water as needed. Help with waste disposal, including compost and recycling. Provide support for food service providers. Help set up lunch and/or dinner meals.Help keep the area neat and clean.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to individuals, public, long-term, and short term 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. For those required to complete Court Appointed Community Service, please click here.

Additional Notes

Parking and Meeting Instructions: Parking is available for volunteers at the Main Office located at 409 E Monument Ave, Dayton, OH 45402. Volunteers must display a valid Volunteer Parking Pass. If you do not have one, please contact volunteer.services@metroparks.org to obtain one. Volunteers should meet staff at the rear entrance of the Main Office (facing nearest the river) on the North side of the building. You will be escorted into the building and to the third-floor hospitality room. Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to park, check in, and get to your volunteer location.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A VOLUNTEER PARKING PASS

Cancellation: If you need to cancel a shift last minute or are running late, please call the staff lead, April Debrosse, at 937-681-1849. Environment & Physical Demands: Physical duties include standing, walking, in an indoor, climate controlled space. Some light lifting and bending (food trays, small water coolers, and assistance with trash removal) are also required. Dress: Please wear your volunteer name badge and, if you have one, your green or blue volunteer shirt. Other: Please note that the hospitality room is reserved for MetroParks employees and volunteers only. Hospitality for bands, vendors, and other support personnel for Celtic Fest is provided by the United Irish of Dayton.Volunteers must abstain from drinking alcohol until after their volunteer shift is finished and must remove their volunteer nametag and any other volunteer apparel when consuming alcohol.

Learn more about Special Events opportunities with us on the Volunteer Position page! 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.

Want to Branch Out? Exploring multiple opportunities is a great way to stay involved, build new skills, and experience different parts of the parks! Consider these opportunities:

Service Saturdays

Catching a fish can be exciting and rewarding, a family activity many can enjoy. A fun skill-builder program in our fishing lineup uses program support volunteers to give more individualized attention to new learners!  "Practice makes perfect" is the saying, and learning to cast well increases your chances of catching the fish.  Our Outdoor Recreation team creates the learning environment to help individuals build skills to be successful in these activities.   You do not need to be an expert to be a program support for this opportunity, but it is always a plus. 

Impact

Volunteers help build access, comfort, convenience, and safety into our programs for all interested in learning.  They enable more individualized support for first-time learners and create a better skill-building environment to test/hone casting skills. Volunteers help people make a stronger connection to nature by making it easy to experience the outdoors in fun activities.

Tasks

Assist in setting up the registration area, gear area (equipment and supplies), and casting area. Set up means you'll be lifting totes to 15 lbs. and carrying items over potentially uneven terrain for a short distance. You may also help set up a pop-up tent, depending on the location. Assist in putting together the targets. Place land targets with good spacing in the practice area. Greet and welcome participants. Assist the staff lead during the program to create a better learning environment for this unique fishing skill. Participants simply rotate from one area to the next. The volunteer would help manage time spent at each location to help with the flow of people. Help distribute program materials and supplies as needed. Assist participants in following the instructor's direction by walking around and observing. Assist with participants casting and instructions. Assist with clean-up and equipment tear-down after the program. Tear gear down and store it in the Fishing Trailer after the program.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to individual,  long-term, and short-term volunteers, ages 18 and up.   

GET STARTED: This opportunity requires Volunteer Onboarding (Profile, Volunteer Handbook Signature, and for those 18 and up, an eligible background check). Simply click the blue RESPOND button to begin completing the required qualifications, or click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

Additional Notes

Parking & Meeting Instructions: Click here for a map of Possum Creek MetroPark.  Volunteers arrive an hour before the beginning of the program. Staff leads will orient volunteers to the agenda, tasks, and other important information.Environment & Physical Demands: This program takes place outdoors during the early evening. Volunteers may participate in some bending, kneeling, reaching, and lifting objects to 10 lbs or more.  "Try It" programs have a walk-in welcome registration, and the number of participants won't be known until the start of the program. Dress: Volunteers should dress for the weather, wear closed-toed shoes to hike in, and wear their MetroParks name badge and apparel.   

Learn more about Programming opportunities with us on the Volunteer Position page! 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. 

Want to Branch Out? Exploring multiple opportunities is a great way to stay involved, build new skills, and experience different parts of the parks! Consider these opportunities:  

Program Support

Fly Fishing 1 introduces participants to the fundamentals of the sport, and your involvement is key to helping them progress confidently on the water. This program focuses on teaching essential techniques for fishing in currents, so previous experience with fly fishing or water safety is an asset. Our Outdoor Recreation team, including our volunteers, is dedicated to creating an encouraging, skill-building atmosphere where participants can thrive. As a program assistant volunteer, you'll work closely with staff during interactive sessions, guiding beginners and promoting a welcoming, safe environment. You don't need to be an expert fly fisher, but hands-on fishing experience is necessary for this rewarding opportunity.

Impact

Volunteers help build access, comfort, convenience, and safety into our programs for all interested in learning.  They enable more individualized support for first-time learners and create a better skill-building environment to test/hone casting skills and safety in moving waters. Volunteers help people make a stronger connection to nature by making it easy to experience the outdoors in fun activities.

Task

Greet and welcome participants Assist in registration check-in. Set up means you'll be lifting totes to 15 lbs. and carrying items over potentially uneven terrain for a short distance. Assist in setting up gear for participants to fish - rods, fly boxes, nets, and vests.  Assist the staff lead during the program to create a better learning environment. Help distribute program materials and supplies as needed.  Assist participants around the river, and in the river, with various activities, as well as getting instructors' assistance when needed. Assist in helping with instructor-led exercises in safe wading. Assist the staff lead in monitoring safety. Assist with clean-up, tear-down of equipment after the program, and getting neatly stored in the Fishing Trailer.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to individual,  long-term, and short-term volunteers, ages 18 and up. This program is a 2nd level, and volunteers will need to be experienced with wading in waters and have fishing experience.

GET STARTED: This opportunity requires Volunteer Onboarding (Profile, Volunteer Handbook Signature, and for those 18 and up, an eligible background check). Simply click the blue RESPOND button to begin completing the required qualifications, or click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

Additional Notes

Parking & Meeting Instructions: Click here for a map of Eastwood MetroPark.  Volunteers arrive an hour before the beginning of the program. Staff leads will orient volunteers to the agenda, tasks, and other important information.  Environment & Physical Demands: This program occurs outdoors, in and around water. Volunteers may participate in some bending, kneeling, reaching, and lifting objects to 10 lbs or more.  This program is 2nd level, and volunteers will need to be experienced with wading in waters and have fishing experience. Volunteers may be walking on current, river cobble, climbing up and down river banks, and walking distances to the river. standing for periods during instruction. Dress: Volunteers should dress for the weather, wear closed-toed shoes, bring their waders, and wear their MetroParks name badge and apparel.  You want to wet-wade or wear waders. Please provide your waders if possible, as this will allow more options for the participants coming to the program. IF YOU NEED A PAIR, the staff lead NEEDS TO KNOW EARLY.

Learn more about Programming opportunities with us on the Volunteer Position page! 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. 

Want to Branch Out? Exploring multiple opportunities is a great way to stay involved, build new skills, and experience different parts of the parks! Consider these opportunities:  

Program Support