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Spring Break Volunteering
Calling all youth volunteers! Join us Wednesday, March 27 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for a spring break service day at Steinberg Playground within Cosmo Park!
Join us to clean and beautify a place for fellow Columbia youth to enjoy! Volunteers (12 years old+) will be supervised by Volunteer Programs staff. Tasks will include mulching, picking up litter, and cleaning of the playground equipment. Pizza will be provided at noon to enjoy after the work is complete.
This is a great opportunity for youth volunteers to get ready for a fun summer of Youth in Action! Youth In Action is our summer volunteer program for those 12-15 years of age.
Reach out to us at volunteer@como.gov or reply to this email to register to volunteer!
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Volunteer for Cleanup Columbia 2024 Cleanup Columbia, the annual city-wide volunteer litter pick up event will be held again in the month of April. Individuals, families, businesses, and groups of all sizes and types are welcome to join the fun to see what surprises they encounter while volunteering!
Volunteers pick the time and date that works best for them to participate, and can select a preferred location. Parks and trails are assigned to families and groups with children younger than 12. Children 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Register and learn more about Cleanup Columbia 2024
Supply pick up will be at our office, 11 N Seventh, anytime during our normal business hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday), Thursday, April 4, 5-7 p.m. or Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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Litter Team Events: You are also invited to upcoming Litter Team Events. Each event will have a Leader who will have supplies and provide direction. This is a great way to meet other like-minded volunteers!
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Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m. meeting at Grace Bible Church, 601 Blue Ridge Road.
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Saturday, April 13 – 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Meet at the Downtown Optimist Park (100 E. Forest Ave)
- Sunday, April 14 – 12 p.m.-2 p.m. Meet at Nifong Park, parking lot off Nifong Blvd near Maplewood Barn. This cleanup will be Volunteer Columbia's celebration of Good Deeds Day. Join us for a picnic lunch and cleanup of Nifong Park and the surrounding area!
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Saturday, May 4 – 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Meet at MBA Textbooks (2711 W. Ash).
Self-schedule
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Volunteer with Parks & Rec activities!
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Egg Hunt Eggstravaganzas – Saturday, March 30 at Douglass Park (400 N. Providence) and Indian Hills Park (5009 Aztec Blvd). Join us for spring holiday fun! Volunteers will be assisting with children’s activities, games, and hiding of the eggs. Volunteers are needed for the hunt at Indian Hills Park from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
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Bike Safety Rodeo – Saturday, April 20 at Karis Church (606 Ridgeway Ave), 9:00-11:30 a.m. Help educate Columbia youth on bike safety! Volunteers will help along the 9-step skill course for ages 3 to 16.
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Columbia Youth Track Meet – Saturday, April 20 at Hickman High School Track from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed to assist with the start and finish lines, timing, recording, awards, and photography for this intro to track event. Join us to share the fundamentals of track and field, and cheer on youth interested in the sport!
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Earth Day – Sunday, April 21 at Peace Park (401 S 9th St). Volunteers are needed from 2:30-5:30 p.m. to assist with children’s activities and games at the annual Earth Day Festival. Get involved to engage youth in sustainability awareness.
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Tree Give Away: TreeKeeper volunteers are invited to the Tree Wrap on Friday, April 19 from 1-3 p.m. at the Parks Management Center to prepare trees for the giveaway at the Columbia Farmers Market, 1769 W. Ash.
The Tree Give Away will be Saturday, April 20 and as always, we are anticipating for the trees to be given out quickly. TreeKeeper volunteers are needed starting at 7:45 a.m. to help distribute the trees. Members of the public can stop by for two free bare-root seedlings.
Reach out to Kylie at volunteer@CoMo.gov or 573.874.7499, or self register, to sign up to assist!
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Youth Sports Opportunities
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Blue Thunder Track Club assistant coaches are needed! Consistent, dedicated volunteers are needed to help coach children and teens in the sport of track and field. The season runs from April-July, with the first practice being on April 2. Visit BlueThunderTrackClub.com to learn more.
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Douglass Youth Baseball League is looking for coaches and umpires for this season! This is a non-competitive, instructional league that takes place in May and June, with coaching clinics starting in April. There are three leagues: T-Ball (5-6 year old), Coach Pitch (7-8 year old), and Kid Pitch (9-10 year old).
To help with Blue Thunder or Douglass Baseball, reach out to Camren Cross at camren.cross@como.gov or 573.874.6378.
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Help reduce waste with Home Composting
Volunteer Columbia offers free Compost Workshops to residents looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Home Composting 101 is offered for those new to composting, and Bokashi Fermentation Workshops are offered for those composting experts looking to expand their knowledge.
Our 2024 series kicks off on Saturday, March 9 at the Missouri United Methodist Church from 1-2 p.m. Check out our full 2024 schedule and register via our form!
Interested in becoming a Compost Workshop leader or instructor?! We would love for you to join our team! Volunteer instructors need to be active composters, comfortable with public speaking, and attend one workshop as a participant prior to assisting or leading. If interested, reach out to volunteer@como.gov to get involved!
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Household Hazardous Waste Collections start in April!
Columbia's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collections start again April 6 and will be held the first and third Saturdays through November. HHW is held at the Grissum Building, 1313 Lakeview.
Volunteers support HHW by greeting and directing the public and consolidating paint. It's a messy, but fun, opportunity! To help, self-schedule or email us.
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Julie McBee - March Featured Volunteer
Early on a Saturday morning when the traffic is low and the birds are singing, you can catch March’s featured volunteer Julie McBee out at her Adopt-a-Spot, helping make Columbia beautiful. The Adopt-a-Spot Beautification Program caught Julie’s eye all the way back in 2004 when her family moved to Columbia. Once her kids got a little older and she had some flexibility in her schedule Julie says, “I jumped in and took on a spot that had gotten quite overgrown with weeds and Bermuda grass. It was quite overwhelming at times, but I broke down the 6’ x 150’ median into 10’ long sections. It was good for both my body and my soul! It has been fun to watch the garden grow and bloom.”
Julie’s spot, located in Blue Ridge Road just east of Providence Road, is dedicated to her husband’s Kids Against Hunger COMO nonprofit organization, another effort near and dear to her heart where you can find Julie working to give back. Kids Against Hunger COMO has packed food for the local food bank as well as for disaster relief areas, both in the United States and around the world. If you see Julie, don’t hesitate to give a wave or say hello. “I am grateful to be able to give a little bit back to the community that I live in,“ Julie says, “I never expect a thank you, so am always very touched and pleasantly surprised when occasionally someone slows down and says thank you!”
Check out the City’s website for information about the Adopt-A-Spot Beautification, or send kudos on a beautiful spot using the webform!
Article written by volunteer Tara O’Reilly
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