Volunteer Opportunities – Guadalupe River Park Conservancy

Volunteer in the GRPG!

Volunteering with us can bring you many benefits – from learning successful gardening techniques, to having the satisfaction of doing something good for the environment. Plus, students can earn community service credits by spending some time working with us! Come meet new friends, build community, and help us maintain the park and Gardens at the same time!

Volunteer events will cancel if there is sustained or heavy rain, excessive heat (over 95° F), or the Air Quality Index is rated as “Unsafe for Sensitive Groups” as indicated by AirNow.

Volunteer Opportunities

Office Support – Have a few hours free every week and looking for an opportunity to volunteer? We are seeking individuals such as yourself to staff our front desk/visitor center on the weekdays. Specifically, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings, as well as Monday and Friday afternoons! Email volunteer@grpg.org for more information.

All of the below community workday offerings require volunteers to register prior.

Historic Orchard Volunteer Workday – Community workdays are typically held on the first Saturday of the month, 9:00-11:30am, and every second and fourth Wednesday, 9:30-11:30am. Learn more about the Historic Orchard here.

Rose Garden Volunteer Workdays – Hosted every Saturday 8:30-11:30am. Learn more about the Heritage Rose Garden here.

Trail Cleanups – A community workday along the Riverwalk Trails and the Guadalupe River Trail. Offered the first and third Wednesday and every third Saturday of the month from 9:00-11:00am.

Register here Volunteer form for minors

Trail Ambassador Program

Do you find yourself walking, running, or biking the Guadalupe Trails within the Guadalupe River Park at least once a week? Join us as a Trail Ambassador!

By becoming a Trail Ambassador you:

Can get outside and moving on foot, by bike, or other personal trail friendly transportation on the trails and paths.
Are able to help us in knowing of any park concerns we, and the City, should be aware of.
A friendly face in the park!
Get to feel good about helping us and others!

Become a Trail Ambassador

Tag Team

Passionate about public art? Find yourself in the park at least once weekly? Interested in helping beautify the Guadalupe River Park and Trail and preserving features in the park, including the Guadalupe River Art Walk? Join us as a member of the Tag Team!

As a Tag Team member you:

Inspect the Guadalupe Park and Gardens, especially in the area of Guadalupe River Art Walk from Grant Street to Coleman Avenue, to check on the status of the murals, sculptures, other art, signage, benches, etc.
Clean any graffiti found on murals, sculptures, other art, signage, benches, etc.
Gain satisfaction in helping steward the Guadalupe River Park and protecting public art

Join the Tag Team

Education Volunteers

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy offer a full calendar of classes and workshops for adults and children. Many of these classes, particularly the ones for children, require volunteers to prepare materials in advance and instructors/assistants to help the education staff deliver the programs. Education volunteers actively participate in all facets of our activities, including, but not limited to: after school workshops for children, field trip programs, education booths at festivals, research library maintenance, annual Water Festival, the compost demonstration site, adult and family workshops, and preparing material for educational programs.

Email us! Learn about our internships

Corporate Workdays

We offer a unique team building environment for your corporate team that incorporates the park’s Heritage Rose Garden, three-acre Historic Orchard, hiking and biking trails, river, and more. We can work with you to find the right project for your group, then provide an introduction and orientation as well as training that day. Our year round activities can last two-to-three hours or a full day and vary depending on the season and current needs. And whether you have 10 employees or 100, we are able to accommodate just about any sized group!

Some of the companies we have worked with include: Adobe, Apple, Intel, Cisco, Western Digital, e-Bay, Ernst & Young, Google, and many more!

For additional information or to book an event, please contact our Stewardship Department at volunteer@grpg.org.

More Information

Group Workdays

Interested in having your class, club, scout troop, or sports team participate in a group volunteer opportunity at the Guadalupe River Park? We would love to host your group for a day of gardening in our Historic Orchard or Heritage Garden, or a day of park beautification as we clean up our local trails. No prior knowledge of park stewardship is required, our team will gladly teach you all necessary skills on site. Please note that most of our activities have an age minimum of 10 years old, and that chaperones will be required to join groups with individuals under the age of 16. Booking for groups must be completed in advance of community events.

We have hosted groups from Notre Dame High School, Bellarmine, Mitty, West Valley College, Boy Scouts of America, San Jose State University, and more!

Contact Us

Additional Opportunities Returning Soon

Rotary PlayGarden Maintenance Support – ongoing on Mondays; Email volunteer@grpg.org for more information.

Special Events – We hold several special events every year including the Water Festival (September), Pumpkins in the Park (October), and the Super Guadalupe River Run (February). Volunteers are recruited to do a variety of tasks for these events including planning, set-up and breakdown, booth staffing, educational activities, and food sales.

General Support – Have some time during the week but can’t make one of our regular workdays? Hold special skills that can help the Conservancy (plumbing, irrigation maintenance, construction, etc.)? Let us know! Every bit of time helps. We may not always have a need, but can certainly use support intermittently. Email volunteer@grpg.org for more information.