SLU Community Partners Database

At Brightside St. Louis, our mission is to improve the quality of life in our community by educating, engaging and inspiring St. Louisans to make our region cleaner, greener and more environmentally sustainable.

- Urban Beautification Program (planting gardens, flowers and trees in the city)

- Recycling Center assistance

- Urban beautification takes place generally on Saturday mornings;

- Recycling center assistance Monday - Friday, anytime during the day

None

The mission of the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is to foster a greater understanding of plant and animal relationships in the environment in order to promote the conservation and restoration of natural habitats.

- Interpretation Volunteers: Assist by sharing knowledge about our butterflies, invertebrates, and plants. These volunteers are trained on how to interact with guests of all ages, about the importance of these animals in our environment.

- Private Event & Birthday Party Volunteers: Support Butterfly House staff in creating special memories. Volunteers help assist with setting up and facilitation of events such as weddings and children's birthday parties..

- Special Event Volunteers: Support crafts, games, and other fun activities at family friendly events. These events are held throughout the year which includes Fancy Tea, Supper with Santa, and more!

- Interpretation Volunteers: Tuesdays through Sundays, anytime 10am-4pm

- Events Volunteers: Days and times vary.

- Application

- Orientation Session

EarthDance sustainably grows food, farmers, and community, one small farm at a time, through hands on education and delicious experiences

Field Volunteer: We have about 2 acres of vegetables, fruit and herbs in production. Field volunteers assist our farm manager with the daily tasks associated with operating a small-scale organic farm and garden.

Field Volunteer: Mondays-Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

- Application

To inspire and mobilize a collaborative movement towards an equitable and environmentally sustainable St. Louis region – every day.

Recycling on the Go Team: Attend great St. Louis metro events, as a part of our ROG team, and collect recycling and compost waste to keep it out of landfills.

Remote Opportunity: Research to find energy efficiency and water conservation strategies for restaurants with our Green Dining Alliance program. Ways to help them save money in their operations as well as reduce environmental impacts.

Days and times vary and up to schedule of volunteer!

- Application

- Orientation

The Flora Conservancy of Forest Park was formed as a partnership with the City of St. Louis Parks Department. The conservancy is committed to beautifying and maintaining landscaped areas of the park as identified in the Forest Park Master Plan. Its mission is to create a supplemental volunteer labor force focusing on volunteer and community education and fund raising to support these activities through broadly based corporate and individual support.

Volunteers for various landscaping and gardening activities throughout Forest Park.

Tuesays, Thursdays, and Saturday, 9 a.m.-11 a.m..

None

Our mission is, “to provide trees for public and not-for-profit plantings and present educational programs to promote stewardship of the trees and forests in Missouri and other communities in the region.”

- Nursery Volunteer: Help maintain the tree nursery by assisting with the overall care of the seedlings, including potting, fertilizing, pruning, and weeding. They also help with nursery maintenance – upkeep of the irrigation system and cleaning and repairing tools. In addition, some volunteers may assist the forester with taking tree inventory, tagging trees, supervising “short burst” volunteer groups, and harvesting trees for community distribution.

Remote opportunities include:

- Tree Story Corps: Interview a community tree recipient about their project and write a short summary profile of their tree planting efforts. These impact stories will be featured on our website, social media, and used to promote our Project CommuniTree free tree distribution program.

- ForestKeeper Member: Participate in a local tree health inventory through the Missouri ForestKeeper Network, collecting data on relative health of street and park trees for an ongoing community scientist project. Designed as a self-paced activity, instructional materials and a tree ID kit are made available to participants via mail or email.

- Outreach Volunteer: Design educational and social media outreach materials on native Missouri tree species. This position works in direct contact with our volunteer coordinator/office manager.

Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-Noon, with occasional Saturdays. Remote opportunities up to schedule of volunteer.

- Application

Saint Louis University’s garden was established in 2002 to address the disconnect between the food people eat and their knowledge of where it originated. It has been fulfilling its mission to improve access to healthy, local foods by providing nutrition and garden education to the St. Louis community ever since.

- Garden Assistant: Help with with weeding, harvesting, and all aspects of growing produce.

Any day Monday-Friday, anytime in the morning.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Gateway Arch Park Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to ensure the Gateway Arch, its grounds, neighboring public spaces, and attractions will be a vital, welcoming, and well-supported resource for the community and nation for generations to come.

- Museum Visitor Service Volunteers: Be a friendly face for visitors when they enter the Park and offer valuable information to make their experience the most enjoyable. Volunteers may be asked to occasionally assist in educational programming or provide hands-on interpretation for visitors using touch table displays in the museum galleries.

- Touch Tables: Museum Touch Table Volunteers support Gateway Arch National Park by assisting in the creation of a welcoming, informative, and visitor-centered environment for visitors and staff. Museum Touch Table Volunteers are friendly faces for visitors, and offer valuable information to make the visitors’ experience more enjoyable. Touch Tables are displays that allow visitors to tangibly connect with the park’s living history collections in a safe and positive environment.

- What's in Bloom Educator: What’s In Bloom Educator Volunteers support Gateway Arch National Park by helping

create a welcoming, informative, and visitor-centered environment through sharing samples of plants that are blooming in the park. Volunteers will be provided with a wooden wheeled cart containing the blooms in labeled containers and with an informational sheet about the featured species.

- Ecological Montiors: Ecological Monitor Volunteers support Gateway Arch National Park by collecting data on creatures they observe within the park’s boundaries. This data, when shared and aggregated, helps NPS staff, local citizens, and even the global community know what creatures are found in our very urban national park, which leads to a greater understanding of the park’s ecosystem and a greater understanding of urban ecology in general. The primary tasks of an Ecological Monitor are to look around the park and use a smartphone to take pictures of creatures they see. Volunteers will then log their observations on the smartphone app iNaturalist.

Any day, 7 days a week anytime 9am-8pm.

- Application

- Orientation

GGO partners with low-income public schools (currently in Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO) to provide extensive environmental, outdoor, and STEAM education. GGO’s curriculum combines hands-on, inquiry-based classroom STEAM instruction, and nature-based outings & overnight trips, with year-round mentorship provided by university students. GGO partners directly with the classroom science teachers to assure that the curriculum augments traditional classroom learning.

- Mentor: Provide hands-on environmental and nature-based STEAM lessons to students in SLPS schools using lessons and activities developed by GGO. Works in a classroom with 4-5 other weekly mentors.

- Field Trip Mentor: Assist with GGO field trips with SLPS schools, primarily to outdoor and natural areas. Transportation between SLPS school and field trip venue provided. Examples from the past include Braeutigam Orchards, Lone Elk Park, Meramac Caverns, St. Louis Zoo, etc.

- Mentor: Generally weekdays anytime 9am-3pm

- Field Trip Mentor: Generally weekdays anytime 9am-3pm

- Availability Form at https://www.gatewayoutdoors.org/volunteer

- Orientation Session

Good Life Growing is an urban community development organization that supports the advancement of an agricultural zone in the 4th Ward of the city of St. Louis. It is our mission to revitalize the 4th Ward by directly tackling the issue of food insecurity that is pervasive in North St. Louis. Good Life Growing supports the advancement of economic and communal revitalization that is for and with the local residents of the neighborhoods in which we operate. We encourage healthy living, community life, and economic and community growth.

- Farm Assistant: Assist in various areas of routine maintenance vital to sustaining grow operations.

- Grow Technician: Assist in the continuous seeding, transplanting, and maintenance of product across all methods of growing used.

Weekdays or weekends, anytime 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

- Orientation

Our mission is to provide free and reduced-fee legal services to individuals, citizens’ groups and organizations that seek to protect the environment and public health.

- Air Quality Research Intern: Engineering students needed to conduct tests on the quality of air and water in certain areas of St. Louis.

- Pollutant Health Effect Research Intern: Public Health students needed to research effects of pollutants on the health of St. Louis residents.

- Economics of Pollution Control Intern: Business students needed to research economic factors involved in pollution control policies.

- Community Organizing and Outreach Intern: Assist in the building of grassroots support for pollution reduction among the community.

Mondays - Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

- Resume

Great Rivers Greenway is the region's parks and trails district, created by a vote of the people to connect St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. We’re making St. Louis an even better place to live by connecting our region with greenways so you can be active, get around town and enjoy being outside.

- Volunteer: Help sustain and improve the greenways by picking up trash, removing invasive plants, planting trees and more.

- Ambassador: Help spread the mission of GRG by tabling events around the region. Explore the region and meet similar organizations in fun environments.

Days and times vary.

None

The Green House Venture seeks to support urban education by providing overworked teachers with first-rate curricular materials in STEM subjects, with experimental equipment, and with professional assistance.

Assist greenhouse staff with the education of youth on environmental science through growing experiments and other hands-on STEM activities.

Anytime M-F 8:00-3:00, from late February to early May.

None

The mission of the Missouri Botanical Garden is to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.

- Education Volunteer at Shaw Nature Reserve, Butterfly House, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, or the Missouri Botanical Garden: Weekday availability needed, some weekends available-Volunteers can be assigned one of the following programs: School Programs Educator/ Outdoor Educator, Scout Programs, Visitor Engagement Station, Interpretation, Docents, Teacher Naturalist, Tower Grove House.

- Horticulture Volunteer at Shaw Nature Reserve, Butterfly House, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, or the Missouri Botanical Garden: Weekday morning availability needed- Volunteers help maintain the garden beds and potted plants, tasks include weeding, deadheading, pruning, etc.

- Science & Conservation Volunteer at the Missouri Botanical Garden: Weekday availability needed- Volunteers can support research staff, the Herbarium, the William Brown Center, or the Sachs Museum. Tasks may include processing plant specimens, cataloging/ archiving, facilitating educations interactions within the museum.

- Sustainability Volunteer at the Missouri Botanical Garden: Weekday availability needed, some weekend and evenings needed for events-Volunteers support sustainability programs and events.

- Ecological Restoration Volunteer at Shaw Nature Reserve or Litzsinger Road Ecology Center: Weekdays and some weekend opportunities-Volunteers support ecological restoration efforts by collecting seeds, removing invasive species, etc.

Days and time up to schedule of volunteer.

- Application

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment works to protect and restore the environment through education, public engagement, and legal action. We focus on clean water, clean air, open space, and sustainable food and farm policies.

- Legal/policy Research

- Known & Grown Field Volunteer Days (work to look into chemical-free farming)

- ReFresh Fashion Forward Resale Boutique Volunteer Days

- Outreach – tabling at MCE events

All opportunities vary by day and time and can be up to the schedule of the volunteer.

- Orientation

New Roots challenges our current food systems by creating urban agriculture models, teaching and empowering inner city youth through food production and cooking, and feeding and nourishing ourselves and others in the St. Louis community.

Community Garden Volunteer: Gardening/farming work; harvesting vegetables, weeding, planting, etc

Mondays from 3-5 p.m.

Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m.-1 p.m.

None

Our mission is to build a creative culture of sustainability in which discarded items are transformed into valued and cherished resources.

- Clothing Swaps: Volunteers will hang up and sort clothing donations by size and item type to prepare for a successful swap. Each swap diverts nearly 2,000 pounds of clothing from the landfill.

Varies, but typically Friday afternoon/evenings and Saturday mornings/afternoons.

- Application

Refab promotes the collective and creative re-use of our built environment.

- Deconstruction Volunteer: Assist Refab staff with dismantling structures, processing reclaimed materials, and loading up trucks.

- Warehouse Helper: Sort and organize incoming donations of building materials, reassemble or disassemble items before they are stocked, assist customers / donors with loading / unloading donations.

- Deconstruction Volunteer: Tuesdays-Saturdays, anytime 9 a.m.-3 p.m..

- Warehouse Helper: Fridays anytime 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or Saturday anytime 10 a.m.-4 p.m..

None

To Empower People and Communities to Grow Food

- Bell Garden: 3871 Bell (WALKING DISTANCE TO CAMPUS ) Gain experience in garden maintenance and interact with Master Gardeners who are on the cutting edge of gardening practices at Gateway Greening’s demonstration garden and plant distribution site!

- City Seeds Urban Farm: 2200 block of Pine (WALKING DISTANCE TO METROLINK) Work alongside clients to help with general maintenance and provide leadership opportunities on this 2.5-acre vegetable farm that provides jobs training and horticulture therapy to St. Patrick Center clients!

- Bell Garden: Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

- City Seeds Urban Farm: Any day of the week, 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

- Application

Sierra Club is the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the country, working to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

- Signature Gathering Volunteer: Help us collect signatures on local petitions and sign-on letters from community members, students, professors, and local community leaders in support of moving away from dirty fossil fuels and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

- Resolution Leader: Help us gather support for a "Beyond Coal" resolution throughout the St. Louis community. Help gather signatures, host letter writing parties with fellow students, and speak out publicly for a clean energy transition.

Days and times vary - up to schedule of volunteer.

None

As the nonprofit partner to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, the Aquarium Foundation engages individuals through access, conservation and education programs, building powerful communities for water stewardship.

- Volunteer Ambassador: The Volunteer Ambassador role enhances the guest experience in the Aquarium by volunteers interacting directly with guests. This includes stations such as the Artifact Cart or the Stingray Touchpool, educating and interacting with guest by giving information about the animals and artifacts.

- Education Volunteer: The Education Volunteer role assists education staff with class instruction over a variety of themes/topics. Opportunity to assist with school groups visiting the Aquarium by serving as a tour guide, leading groups through the aquarium, after additional training has been completed.

- Volunteer Ambassador: lexible shifts 7 days a week, during Aquarium operating hours (Su-Th 9-5 and seasonal hours F-Sa, either 9-5 or 9-8).

- Education Volunteer: Varied shifts, typically 2-4 hours at a time, M-F with occasional Saturdays.

- Application

- Background Check

- Orientation Session

To provide high-quality parks, facilities and recreation services that enhance St. Louis County residents' lives through responsible and effective resource management.

- Trail Crew Volunteer: Help repair trail--limb removal, erosion control, tree trimming and general maintenance--or build new trail or extension to existing trails. Tools, gloves, training, water and lite lunch provided for all volunteers.

- Honeysuckle Removal Volunteer: Help remove invasive bush honeysuckle, which is destroying ofrest understory by blocking sunlight from other species. Tools,gloves, training, water and lite lunch provided for all volunteers.

Select Saturdays in Fall and Spring at various sites; most projects run 9 a.m.-1 p.m..

None

The Green Center is an arts and environmental organization dedicated to helping people experience the wonder of nature, to protecting the ecosystems of our world, to encouraging the creation of art inspired by nature, and to building a spirit of community with the natural world.

- Outdoor Habitat Volunteers: Volunteers assist Green Center staff with planting, weeding, collecting seed and general maintenance of outdoor gardens, wetland, prairie and woodland areas.

- Youth Education Classes Volunteer: Assist staff in teaching the basics of the environment to young children

- Outdoor Habitat Volunteers: Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

- Youth Education Classes Volunteer: Days and times vary, generally anytime Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m..

- Application, available at the above website

- Orientation

Founded in 1965, the Open Space Council works independently and collaboratively to conserve and sustain land, water and other natural resources throughout the St. Louis region.

- Community Stewardship Alliance: The Community Stewardship Alliance (CSA) is a conservation program intended to provide focused, trained volunteer leadership to restore and maintain the natural areas within our St. Louis County Parks. Currently, there are ongoing opportunities at Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, Lower Meramec Park, and St. Vincent Park.

- Operation Wildlands: Volunteers assist with the proactive management of public open space to improve wildlife habitat and nature-related outdoor recreation.

- Community Stewardship Alliance: Days and times vary.

- Operation Wildlands: Saturdays from 9am-Noon

None

The mission of Tower Grove Park is to be an exemplary, well-preserved and well-presented, wooded Victorian park of international significance that provides important recreational, educational and cultural opportunities for the public in a way that is compatible with its unique and historic character.

- East Stream Volunteer: Tower Grove Park is seeking volunteers to help maintain the new plantings at the East Stream Restoration Project, also known as Nee Kee Nee. Tasks include identifying native plants, pulling weeds, hauling plant materials, etc. This role is physically demanding and requires volunteers in good physical health. See schedule at https://www.towergrovepark.org/volunteer on the calendar.

- Sensory-Friendly Tent Volunteer: Tower Grove Park is seeking volunteers to help manage our Sensory-Friendly Tent at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. As a volunteer at this activity, you will help supervise the tent, ensuring that guests using the space use indoor voices, walk with quiet feet, treat the sensory supplies with respect, and leave the space as they found it.

- East Stream Volunteer: Mondays, 8:30am - 10:30am.

- Saturdays anytime 8am-2pm

- Orientation Session

Trailnet is a St. Louis based non-profit organization with a 20-year history of Promoting Active Living * - a way of life that encourages people to integrate physical activity into their daily routines. Trailnet’s mission is to lead in fostering healthy and active communities through innovative programs, planning, and policy that promote walking and bicycling throughout the St. Louis bi-state region.

- Trailnet hosts bike rides, walking events and walk to school events throughout the bi-state region. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, bike repairs, mark routes, research trails, photography,grant writing and office rescue.

- Advocacy Support: phone calls, letter writing, and educating the general public about the benefits of non-motorized transportation alternatives.

Remote opportunity: Phone Calls. You will be giving a list of donors to call and say thank you; while also asking them what would they like to see in our non profit and what they like about Trailnet.

Days and times vary; trail and riverfront clean-ups occur most Saturday mornings.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Urban Harvest STL builds community around inclusive and resilient local food systems.

- Farming Assistant: Farming Assistant: Work under the direction of one of our farmers on farming projects. May include watering, weeding, planting, harvesting, pest management, soil amending, etc.

- Little Sprouts Volunteer: Assist with our preschool education programs around growing food and sustainability.

- Farming Assistant: Any day Monday-Friday, anytime 9a-5pm; Saturdays 9am-Noon.

- Education Assistant: Tuesdays or Wednesdays anytime 9am-11:30am

- Background Check (if working with children)

To keep electronics and household items out of the landfills by putting them back into the community and using men and women who need a "Hand Up" to appropriately recycling the items that cannot be reused. We are one of the US largest nonprofit reuse/recycling charities.

- Computer Technician: Repair computers and image them using our MS software image. Need some hardware and software experiences but training provided.

- Donation Sorting: Organizing donated goods, checking to make they work, cleaning, etc.

Hours are flexible; open Monday thru Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

- Application

- Training

The World Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to preserve the earth’s biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments. We work to fulfill that mission through education, propagation, field studies and rehabilitation.

- Naturalist Work at the Office of Wildlife: Learning with our Education staff helping present education programs to the public and assisting in maintenance of all education animals. Help maintain exhibits and displays and answer questions from the public. You will handle animals in this position.

- Animal Care Technician: Work with our Animal Management staff at the Education Training Center assisting with the husbandry and care of this departments animals. Duties include but are not limited to food preparation, feeding, cleaning facilities, and general maintenance. You will handle birds in this position.

- Rehabilitation Technician: Assist our rehabilitation team with the care, treatment, feeding, cleaning and medicating of birds undergoing rehabilitation at the WBS rehabilitation hospital. You will handle birds in this position.

- Propagation Technician: Work directly with our senior staff in our breeding department with the daily care and husbandry of our breeding birds. Assist with food preparation, cleaning

and feeding of all our breeding birds. As well as assist with the care of support animal colonies. You will handle birds in this position.

- Field Studies Technician: Assist the field studies department with the ongoing study of our wild bird populations on the World Bird Sanctuary property. This includes both visual and auditory census, mist netting songbirds and nest box studies. This position is for one day a week.

- Docent Assist with staffing our Visitor's Information Center and Nature Center. Talk with visitors about the amazing encounters that await them, help them navigate easily around the property with a site map, assist them in selecting a special souvenir to remember their visit with all of World Bird Sanctuary's critters. You do not need to handle birds in this position.

Any day of the week, Mondays-Sundays, anytime between 8 a.m.-6 p.m..

- Application