Volunteer with Friends of Shelby

Volunteers breathe life into our mission to preserve, protect, and enhance Shelby Park and Bottoms. Volunteers are at the heart of Friends of Shelby: planting trees, picking up trash, maintaining trails, assisting with special events, and helping with various larger projects.

Check out all the ways to get involved, and sign up today to receive updates on volunteer opportunities.

Keep scrolling to sign up for upcoming events!

Upcoming Volunteer OPPORTUNITIES

Full Belly 5K and Fun Run - Saturday, November 30th

Join Friends of Shelby for our annual turkey trot, the Full Belly 5K! This festive race combines community care, wellness, and fun costumes. We can use help with set-up, race route directions, registration, and clean-up.
Click here to volunteer!

___

Building Winter Animal Shelters in Shelby Bottoms - Tuesday, November 19th and Wednesday, November 20th (1 PM - 3 PM or 3 PM - 5 PM)

The SBNC will be building some hibernacula this fall in preparation for the upcoming winter season! A hibernaculum is a human-made structure that animals can use for shelter to survive the winter. As available habitat dwindles, parks such as Shelby Bottoms are increasingly important as safe havens for urban wildlife. Volunteers will help dig two large holes and then build up a structure within them for the animals to live in during the cold months.
Click here to volunteer!

Trail Maintenance - Wednesday, November 20th (1 PM - 3 PM)

While we’ve got this dry weather, it’s time to keep spreading mulch onto our primitive trails to prevent mud puddles this winter! Depending on the trail, we might also work on trimming back invasive plants to make the space welcoming for everyone (native plants and people alike).
Click here to volunteer!

Invasive Plant Removal - Friday, November 22nd (9 AM - 11:30 AM);
Friday, December 6th (1 PM - 3:30 PM)

Restore the Forest has returned for another season, and we’ve been itching to get back onto Beech Grove Hill! Join in on the fun of ripping plants out of the ground and get that warm ‘n’ fuzzy feeling from doing good for the environment — the earth will be thankful for it!
Click here to volunteer!

SHELBY PARK AMBASSADORS

Do you love Shelby Park and Bottoms? Would you like to be more involved in park events, the community, and Friends of Shelby? Join our Park Ambassador program! Park Ambassadors help achieve our mission of preserving, enhancing and protecting the park by increasing our community outreach via tabling, events, and open houses. In this long-term volunteer program, you will learn all there is to know about the park and FOS and share this valuable information with the public!
For more information, email CD: cd@friendsofshelby.org

Community Group Volunteer Program

Friends of Shelby loves to work with groups. Whether it's your ten-person office or your 100-person church, please reach out and see if we have a project that would suit your goals. Friends of Shelby helps coordinate the project and provides tools, gloves, and work project assignments to match the size and capabilities of any volunteer group. Each volunteer day begins with an orientation including the goals of the park improvement effort, tool training, and general safety rules.

If you are interested in a project for your group, please click the button below and fill out our interest form!
Questions? Email our Community Outreach and Volunteer Leader at cd@friendsofshelby.org.

GROUP VOLUNTEER EVENT INTEREST FORM