As students begin crafting their resumes, building their portfolios and searching for jobs or internships to apply to, they may look to volunteering opportunities available in Eugene. These volunteer opportunities can provide students with numerous options to choose from in accordance with their interests. 

Joe Waksmundski, natural areas and trees volunteer coordinator for the City of Eugene, said that students can learn many skills through these opportunities while benefiting the local community. The Eugene Parks and Open Space Division offers several career-building opportunities for students with volunteer programs in the developed parks and natural areas.

These include trail maintenance, environment protection programs, native plant care or gardening projects, seasonal or one-off events and weekly opportunities that students can participate in.

Waksmundski said he believes the parks’ volunteer programs are learning opportunities for students looking to expand their knowledge and interest in learning more about native vegetation, maintenance or habitat restoration.

“I think [participating in these opportunities] offers students the ability to become a part of the greater community of Eugene,” Waksmundski said. “They’ll be giving back with their time and energy to Eugene, getting off campus and experiencing new areas that they may not have seen.”

Waksmundski said the best place to look for more programs and their details is through the Eugene Parks and Open Space website and by contacting representatives. He emphasized that there is a very low chance of getting rejected from a volunteering opportunity and that there can be flexibility with students’ schedules.

“We have a long and rich history with the university working with different groups and we would like to continue that for the new and returning students,” Waksmundski said. “We’re pretty welcoming and we try to cater the experience if somebody has a special need or a special request.”

There are additional volunteer opportunities with the Eugene Public Library, Adaptive Recreation Services and other community-service oriented groups in Eugene.

Waksmundski said these programs can give students the chance to meet new people, improve the environment in Eugene and build their resumes with useful skills they will learn throughout each experience.

“It shows that they volunteered and gave back to their community, so I think it’s a really good opportunity to build a skillset, to meet new people and to diversify whatever they may be doing at the university,” Waksmundski said.

Another opportunity concerning natural areas is with the Rotary Club of Eugene which involves its members with community service projects to support local areas in need.

The Northwest Youth Corps is a local youth conservation organization that offers different programs for young adults, including projects that complete conservation work in the community such as wildfire protection or leadership development.

“I think [these opportunities] strengthen the community because it brings us all together under a common goal of preservation and enhancement of our natural resources,” Waksmundski said.

Volunteer opportunities with Food For Lane County are also available and accessible for students to work with, providing opportunities to participate through sorting, re-packing and distributing food at the facilities and garden. 

Further information on the organization’s volunteer opportunities is listed on their website at foodforlanecounty.org.