|
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.
Two after hour pickups are being offered at our office as well. During these after hour pickups, feel free to stop in to register for Cleanup Columbia and obtain your supplies! These will also be at 11 N. Seventh Street.
- Thursday, April 4, 5-7 p.m.
- Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Pictured below is the Alpha Kappa Psi Pledge Class cleaning up Clark Lane held in March. This group collected more than 10 bags of litter in an hour. Thank you AKPsi!!
|  | |
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!
-
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!
-
Saturday, May 4 – 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Meet at MBA Textbooks (2711 W. Ash).
Self-schedule
| April marks the beginning of Global Volunteer Month, a time to celebrate volunteers like you and the work you all do to make an impact in the community. Thank you for all that you do for Columbia! | |
|
Household Hazardous Waste Collections start Saturday!
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 work in two hour shifts: 8-10 a.m. or 10 a.m.-noon.
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.
| |
|
Volunteer with Parks & Rec activities!
-
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.
-
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!
-
Heritage Day – Saturday, May 4 at Douglass Park (400 N Providence Rd). Volunteers are needed for this community event which is the unofficial opening of Douglass Park for the summer! Volunteers will be assisting with children’s games, activities, food service, and more. Volunteer shifts are available from 1:00-2:15 p.m. (set up), 1:30-5:30 p.m. (games, activities, food service), 4:30-5:30 p.m. (tear down/clean up).
-
Family Fun Fest – Third Wednesday, May-September, 5:30-8:00 p.m. (The June event will be on the third Thursday.) Join us for these family friendly monthly entertainment events! Volunteers will be assisting with children activities and games. May and June Family Fun Fest will be held at Cosmo Park, and July-September will be held at Albert-Oakland Park.
-
Superhero Sports Challenge – Wednesday, May 22, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed for this sports obstacle course for youth ages 6-14 at The Armory (701 E Ash St) to help facilitate the course.
To help or learn more, email volunteer@CoMo.gov or self schedule.
| |
|
Tree Give Away - April 20
Join the TreeKeepers volunteers and Parks staff for the annual Arbor Day Tree Give Away on Saturday, April 20. 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 from 16 species. The give away will be held at the Columbia Farmers Market, 1769 W. Ash Street.
Reach out to Kylie at volunteer@CoMo.gov or 573.874.7499, or self register, to sign up to assist!
| |
|
Summer Youth Volunteering
Summer brings extra time for many young people, and the City of Columbia wants to help them make the most of it! Again this summer, the City of Columbia Volunteer Programs will offer Youth In Action, designed for those 12+ years of age. The program includes a variety of volunteer projects and activities that are structured and supervised. Participants can select the activities that best suit their interests and schedules. There is no cost to participate and youth can serve in as many projects as they choose.
To learn more about Youth In Action, contact us at 874-7499 or volunteer@CoMo.gov.
We will be at the Youth Summit this Sunday, noon-2 p.m. at the ARC sharing information about volunteering.
| |
|
Youth Sports Opportunities
-
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.
-
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.
| |
|
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.
Check out our full 2024 schedule and register via our form!
Upcoming workshops:
- Tuesday, May 7 at Capen Park, 6-7 p.m. Bokashi Fermentation. This workshop is best suited to those with composting experience wishing to expand their knowledge.
- Saturday, May 11 at the Columbia Farmers Market, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
- Saturday, May 11 at the Columbia Farmers Market, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
- Saturday, June 8 at Capen Park, 11 a.m. - noon
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!
| |
|
Trail & Park Projects with Partner Organizations

COMO Trail Association (COMOTA) – Join COMOTA in helping improve our trails! Tools will be provided, but volunteers will need to wear closed-toe shoes, work gloves, and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Register for COMOTA events here!
- Saturday, April 20, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Rhett’s Run on the north end of Cosmo Park. Meet at the back parking lot by the T-Ball fields. The project includes building a new trail by the new bike park.
Missouri Conservation Corps (MCC) – Join MCC in helping remove honeysuckle from our City parks and trails! Below are upcoming workdays volunteers are invited to take part. Tools will be provided, but volunteers will need to wear closed-toe shoes, work gloves, and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Reach out to stephen@missouriconservationcorps.org
to register for their events!
- Sunday, April 7 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Garth Nature Area. Cutting and pulling invasives using loppers, hand saws and hand pulling.
- Tuesday, April 9 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, Odor Shelter. Hacking and pulling invasive honeysuckle.
- Sunday, April 14 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Garth Nature Area. Cutting and pulling invasives using loppers, hand saws and hand pulling. Trail work with COMOTA.
| |
|
Jennifer Spiess - April Featured Volunteer
You’ll see April’s featured volunteer Jennifer Spiess out in April for Cleanup Columbia, but she won’t be alone. Each year Jennifer, in her 15th year as a Conservation Biology and Plant Biology Instructor, recruits students to assist in the cleanup.
“I am most proud to share these experiences and values with my students at Moberly Area Community College,” Jennifer says, “taking action in even the smallest ways can combat any problem you may be dealing with. I find that when I start focusing on others, I stop worrying about things I have no control over.”
Jennifer’s got a long history of giving back, and has volunteered everywhere she’s lived in a lifelong habit that started with her parents in New Cambria, Missouri. “I believe, and teach, that we want to leave the world better than we received it,” she says. She lives as she teaches; Jennifer has helped place flags for Memorial Day, helped with school clubs, volunteered during Bible School, assisted the Salvation Army with the Holiday Parade, walked dogs for the Central Missouri Humane Society and assisted the Food Bank with Buddy Packs.
When she’s not teaching or volunteering, Jennifer enjoys cooking, reading, baking and gardening and works with Mary Kay as a consultant. She’s currently planning a Missouri Native Plants garden at home and is an active member of the Columbia Mothers of Multiples Club.
If you’d like to join Jennifer and the MACC students, participate in Cleanup Columbia, either in April or anytime that fits your schedule. For more information, contact the City of Columbia Volunteer Programs at 573.874.7499 or email volunteer@CoMo.gov.
Article written by volunteer Tara O’Reilly
|  | Jennifer has led a student group from Moberly Area Career Center in participating in Cleanup Columbia annually for years! She is pictured top row far right. Thank you Jennifer and MACC! | | | | | | |
