Volunteer

The EEC welcomes volunteers of all ages! But, there are some important things to remember:

• Volunteers under the age of 18 will need a parent/guardian to sign their waiver.
  • If you are signing up online, a parent/guardian will also need to make an account in order to sign your waiver.
• Volunteers under the age of 16 will need a parent/guardian to be present with them while they volunteer.

We love when volunteers bring friends and family with them to help out! However, while most of our volunteer projects are family-friendly, not all are suitable for kids of all ages, so just keep that in mind when signing up. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to EEC staff at 574-293-5070 or EECmail@coei.org. 

You can use our online portal to sign up for upcoming volunteer opportunities! When you create an account, the website will take you through the steps to fill out our volunteer waiver (a one-time thing and then you're set to volunteer with us or any other city department!). You can use this portal to see information about all upcoming volunteer opportunities with us or with the Elkhart Parks Department.

If you are not able to sign up through the online portal, please reach out to EEC staff to sign up or if you would like assistance creating an account/signing up for an opportunity online. You can reach us at 574-293-5070 or EECmail@coei.org. 

You can check out our upcoming volunteer opportunities on our online portal! We have a variety of volunteer opportunities available throughout the year.

• Year-round:
  • We are always working on removing invasive species and maintaining our trails and gardens
• Spring:
  • We typically plant bulbs and seeds around our trails as soon as the weather is ready for it
  • In May, we prep and plant our quilt garden--there is always a fun, new design!
  • Earth Day - we need help prepping trees for our tree giveaway and then we always need help with the big event
• Summer:
  • We typically work on maintaining the trails and adding new amenities
  • Kids Free Fishing Clinic - we need help teaching the different stations, and with setup/cleanup
  • Pollinator Promenade - we need help judging the competitions, kids activities, and setup/cleanup
  • EnviroFest - we need help running the event activities and with setup/cleanup
  • River Cleanup - paddle down the river (or stay on land) and help clean up our local waterway
• Fall:
  • We collect seeds from our native plants and, after the weather turns, we remove our quilt garden
  • Waggin' in the Woods - we need help with parking and setup/clean
  • Haunted Walk Through the Woods - we always need help decorating the trails, and then volunteers are a big help as scarers, parking directors, and trail monitors
• Winter:
  • We typically focus on invasive species removal
  • Sometimes we need help cleaning and sharpening tools or other maintenance

Special Project:

We will be planting 2,000 trees around Elkhart and we're starting THIS spring! Keep an eye out for announcements about tree planting days for our Trees for the Hart grant.

If you are looking to help out with a specific project or event, you can check out available shifts in our online portal and choose the timeframe that works best for you. If you are unable to stay for an entire shift, but still want to help just let EEC staff know ahead of time. We are happy to work with volunteers when it comes to scheduling.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with something other than a prescheduled work day or event, we would to work with you! We typically have a flexible schedule, so usually it's up to you! We just ask that you either schedule with staff ahead of time, or give us a call before you head over. We are a small staff and sometimes we are called away to off-site meetings or errands; we want to make sure that staff are available when you arrive to volunteer.

Usual volunteer hours take place during our regular staff hours (Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM). However, when we have an evening/weekend program, we often allow volunteers to stay and work during those extended times as well. 

Contact EEC staff at 574-293-5070 or EECmail@coei.org. 

Yes! We love working with large groups to tackle big projects! Groups are great for adopting a trail or garden, helping with big one-time projects (like installing a pier or building a bench), or helping out with a big event. They are also a fantastic way to accomplish clearing out a big area of invasive species or planting a ton of native trees or wildflowers!

If you are looking to volunteer with a group outside of our usual staff hours (Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM), please let us know. 

We would love to connect with you and find the best project for your group. Contact EEC staff at 574-293-5070 or EECmail@coei.org. 

That's awesome! We are always looking for new ways to make our site, events, and programs bigger and better for our visitors and wildlife and we love to hear from the community!

If you have an idea for a project that you would like to help us accomplish, please reach out to EEC staff at 574-293-5070 or EECmail@coei.org to get the ball rolling!