MetroParks has more than 4,000 registered volunteers. Some are one-time contributors while others help weekly.
Last year, volunteers gave more than 25,000 hours to support the parks, their programs and events. If MetroParks had to pay for these services, it would have cost almost $700,000. But it’s more than just time these volunteers give. They often bring expertise that would be hard to obtain otherwise.
“Beyond numbers, our volunteers helped us protect our region’s natural heritage and provide outdoor experiences that inspired personal connections to nature throughout our parks and our community,” Hymans says.
Debra Kozar is one of those passionate volunteers. As a longtime educator and outdoor recreation expert, she was drawn to MetroParks school outreach programs. In 2017, she started volunteering in the school naturalist program, leading field trips for children. She also volunteers monthly for the Paint-A-Park program and is an ambassador at Cox Arboretum’s Visitor Center.
As a volunteer, Kozar gets to see first-hand the benefit these programs have on local teachers and children.
Five Rivers Metroparks’ mission to protect the region’s natural resources and inspire a personal connection with nature “encourages me and my fellow volunteers to show students and teachers that there is more to our communities than what is inside the classrooms and homes,” Kozar says. “We as volunteers also encourage and give teachers the support they need to get students involved with hands-on learning … the goal being to encourage participants to use more observational, problem-solving skills.”
Volunteering can take a lot of different forms, Hymans notes.
Some parks have regularly scheduled volunteer activities year-round, while others have seasonal opportunities. Many businesses and organizations also sign up for one-day volunteer service events like Adopt-A-Park and Make A Difference Day.
A new service series, Service Saturdays, seeks volunteers every third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon, May through September.
What do volunteers do?
Volunteer opportunities are divided into nine categories: administrative, ambassador, animal care, conservation, gardening, park maintenance, programming, skilled trade and special events. They include indoor and outdoor tasks as well as daytime, evening and weekend opportunities.
For instance, an animal care volunteer might work with the horses at Carriage Hill Riding Center or serve as a wildlife animal ambassador at Germantown MetroPark. A park maintenance volunteer might support their favorite trail or help with a trail maintenance workday. Programming volunteers can serve as historic interpreters, while skilled trades volunteers might join the woodworking group at Cox Arboretum MetroPark.
“The great part about volunteering with us is that volunteers get to choose the volunteer opportunities they would like to support,” Hymans says. “They can view them all on our Get Connected volunteer site and respond to those that match their availability, interests, skill sets, or just sound interesting to them.”
Volunteers in MetroParks’ VIP program get discounts for some programs and rentals plus exclusive volunteer apparel.
An annual volunteer report shows the impact they have on the community. The report is online at metroparks.galaxydigital.com/volunteer-impact.
What kind of training do volunteers receive?
Volunteers can start with the volunteer section at MetroParks’ website. There they can complete a volunteer profile and review the volunteer handbook. Volunteers 18 and older will also complete an online background check. For some programs, volunteers will also receive more specific skill-based training.
For one-day public service volunteers, no onboarding or additional training is required. “You can simply sign up and show up to make a difference,” Hyman says.
How do I volunteer?
Go to www.metroparks.org/volunteer to learn more and get started. You can also schedule a volunteer open house by calling MetroParks at (937) 275-7275.
Shout-out to some outstanding volunteers
Many MetroParks volunteers have donated their time for decades. Here are some long-time and newer volunteers:
- Charlie Wiltrout has been a historic farmer volunteer at Carriage Hill MetroPark since 1983. He’s put in more than 3,000 hours in the past 41 years.
- Bobbi Beyer started volunteering in 1988, also at Carriage Hill. She is a historic interpreter there. She also volunteers with the Wegerzyn Gardening Angels program at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark.
- Don Porter has been a visitor center ambassador at Cox Arboretum MetroPark since 1990.
- William Masterson started in 2009 and supports many different programs, including the Wildlife Animal Ambassador Care. He’s put in more than 4,000 hours to date.
- Jim Lewis has donated more than 2,700 hours since starting in 2015. He supports trails and is a MetroParks volunteer patroller.
- Earl McDaniel joined in 2016 and has put in more than 2,900 hours on MetroParks bikeways. He’s also a volunteer patroller.
- Isaac Fry started in 2017 and has donated more than 2,500 hours supporting barn aide tasks and programming at the Carriage Hill Riding Center.
“Without these dedicated hands and hearts, we would not have the clean, safe, beautiful parks that we have,” Hymans says. “Thank you to everyone who has joined us in volunteer service over the years. We appreciate you!”
Jana Collier is a member of the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation Board. To learn about the foundation and how you can help, go to metroparks.org/about/foundations.
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