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

Become a Friends of Shelby Volunteer Photographer

If you love taking photos and have access to a high-quality camera, we would love to have you join our crew of Volunteer Photographers! These special volunteers help take pictures at our programs and events throughout the year, helping us reach more and more potential park users.
Click here to express interest in joining the crew!

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Landscape Beautification - Thursday, April 10th (9-11 AM)

Join Friends of Shelby as we beautify the landscape beds in the park! We will be weeding and pruning landscaping beds throughout Shelby Park and Bottoms, and potentially spreading mulch where needed, which makes Shelby Park more welcoming and beautiful. The park has been welcoming the community with open arms for the last 100+ years, and we want to keep the park looking nice and blooming with seasonal flowers. Let's not forget our local insects and wildlife will appreciate the food source provided by these native blooms!
Click here to sign up!

Fridays by the River: April 11th - April 18th - April 25th - May 2nd - May 9th

Fridays by the River encompasses all five senses: scenic views of the river, warm spring air, sizzling scents of food trucks, twangy-strumming of (free!) live music, and the taste of a smooth East Nashville Beer Works brew. It doesn’t get much better than that! If that sounds like it’s up your alley, come check it out as a volunteer — all volunteers get a free t-shirt and a beer to enjoy before or after their shift!
Click the date above that you’d like to sign up for!

Cleaning Our Toolshed & Lake Sevier - Friday, April 18th (9AM-12PM)

Friends of Shelby's toolshed houses all of the materials we use for volunteer projects, park improvements, and even some of our event materials. Volunteers will help us by cleaning, reinforcing, and then cleaning debris out of the lake after recent storms. Cleaning the debris out of the lake prevents harmful algae from blooming, keeping the park as clean as possible for all of our waterfowl neighbors.
Click here to volunteer!

Invasive Plant Removal - Tuesday, April 22nd (1-3:30 PM), and Saturday, April 26th (4-6:30 PM)

To celebrate Earth Month, we’re capping off our Restore the Forest season with two special Invasive Plant Removal events. On Earth Day (4/22), the public is invited to join Friends of Shelby in partnership with the Country Music Hall of Fame staff for an afternoon of helping the forest! Then, on the weekend after Earth Day, join Friends of Shelby in partnership with local musician Mary Moore for a special evening Invasive Plant Removal to end our season on a high note (music pun intended).
Click here to volunteer!

10th Annual Cornelia Airpark Concerts - Saturday, May 17th (various shifts available)

An East Nashville staple of summer, this concert series is one of our most exciting events of the year and volunteers help us run the entire thing! From set-up to tickets, pouring beers and pushing planes, we truly could not put these events on without our community’s support. To say thank you, all volunteers receive a gold Friends of Shelby t-shirt and a free drink to enjoy before or after their shift!
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