By Volunteer Coordinator Laura Fisher
National Volunteer Appreciation Week gives us the opportunity to shine a light on our amazing volunteers who work in front of and behind the scenes to help our parks and recreation system thrive. Volunteers dedicate their time and talents to JCPRD’s mission of enriching our community through excellence in parks, recreation, culture, education, and public service. In 2024, volunteers contributed over 125,300 hours of volunteer time to help bring that mission to life. Between volunteers who helped at special events, set up programs, coached, pulled invasive species, and performed at Theatre in the Park (to name just a few), we had over 66,800 volunteer participations!
Each of JCPRD’s five divisions, including Administrative Services, Culture, Parks & Golf Courses, Recreation, and Safety & Outdoor Education, use volunteers to help keep our programs running smoothly and to serve our community to the fullest. Whether you like to greet guests, play an instrument, work with plants, drive a golf ball, run, or care for animals, JCPRD has a volunteer role you might enjoy.
Volunteers ages 14 and older are welcome to volunteer on their own with JCPRD. Minors need to have written consent from a parent or guardian before volunteering. On occasion we do have volunteer opportunities available for groups or individuals under the age of 14 when they are being supervised by adults. We love to work with students to fulfil volunteer hours, groups for workdays, and anyone who would like to share their talents with their community. Interested volunteers can visit JCPRD’s Volunteer Opportunities page on our website.
Keep your eyes on our social media during National Volunteer Week as we highlight a few of our volunteers to show you how they share their time and talent with our community. From teaching pickleball and feeding our ferret, to coaching soccer and keeping invasive species under control, we thank our AMAZING volunteers for their dedication to help our community live healthy and fulfilled lives!
Looking to get involved and fulfil an immediate volunteer need? Please visit these volunteer opportunities on our website:
- Golf Course Marshals: Immediate openings available at Tomahawk Hills Golf Course. Marshals assist patrons with tee-off times, rules and regulations. To apply contact Michael Tanner at 913-631-8000, extension 2 for more details.
- Adaptive Recreation: Volunteer opportunities exist for people with a strong desire to learn and to help others succeed. Special Olympics relies heavily on volunteers for many different sporting events. Volunteers are needed during practice times. Each sport has a minimum of ten practices. To apply, please complete this interest form.
