Volunteer Opportunities

Friends of the Parks (FOTP) works with thousands of parks activists throughout the city of Chicago to build active, aware, and educated park constituents who transform parks into vital community centers.

From litter removal, recycling, and tree and garden planting, to organizing special events, FOTP's Volunteer in Parks Program offers volunteers the opportunity to promote community pride in Chicago's greatest resource, and a chance to become directly involved in the protection, preservation, and maintenance of Chicago's historical neighborhood parks, playgrounds and forest preserves. Through our Volunteers in Parks (VIP) program, interested individuals, company employees, universities, and community organizers work together to improve local parks, beaches, open spaces and forest preserves. Other volunteer programs encourage interested individuals to become park advocates and stewards of our city's open spaces.

Specific volunteer opportunities at Friends of the Parks include:

Community Service Projects: Concerned groups, corporations, and individuals volunteer to complete various hands-on park projects. These projects include tree mulching, watering, tree or garden planting, weeding, raking, sweeping and litter pickup. Park selection is based on a request for help or on a need basis. Volunteers generally work three hours a month during the months of April through November.

Adopt-A-Park Program: Community groups, neighborhood organizations, or other interested individuals can commit to adopting their neighborhood park, children's playground, section of a larger park or part of a forest preserve. Through our Adopt-A-Park Program, participating groups are asked to complete six workdays at their "adopted" park by picking up litter, sweeping broken glass, watering and mulching trees, gardening, and monitoring their parks for any problems.

Earth Day Parks & Preserves Clean-Up: Each year Friends of The Parks hosts the Earth Day Clean-Up. Thousands of volunteers are needed to clean and green over 100 parks and forest preserves throughout the city and county. Next years date is Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Public Lands Day: In September, Friends of the Parks hosts Public Lands Day in Chicago's parks. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to restore natural areas in our parks and forest preserves. Public Lands Day will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2008.

Special Projects: Volunteers are needed for one-day special events such as the L.A.T.E. RIDE in July, at educational forums throughout the year, or by serving on an organizing committee.

Office Work: FOTP periodically needs assistance in our office with data input, mailings, phones, packet assembly, and/or registration for special events.

For more information on volunteer project email your name, address and daytime phone number to sullivanme@fotp.org, or call (312) 857-2757ext 13.