Spring into Collective Action at These Kansas City Nonprofits
It’s official: spring is here, making her presence known through shoots of wildflowers and blossoming trees. And although Kansas City weather is a bit unpredictable, to say the least—there are still plenty of beautiful days ahead. Why not take advantage of the gorgeous weather and volunteer outdoors? In this blog post, we’ll explore several different nonprofits in Kansas City to volunteer with this spring.
1. KC Parks and Recreation Department
If you want to make a difference in your community, going to your local government is a sensible place to start. And if you want to do it outdoors, the local Parks and Rec department is the obvious choice!
The KC Parks and Recreation department maintains 222 parks, 12,000+ acres of parkland, 158 miles of trails, 29 lakes, and countless other facilities throughout the city. With so much outdoor space to maintain, the department often relies on the help of volunteers.
Volunteering with the KC Parks program is a great way to see a bit more of your city and help keep it beautiful for your fellow residents. Opportunities range from weekly road clean-ups to landscaping/gardening and invasive species removal. You can volunteer once, twice, or even commit to becoming a KC Parks Ambassador, which requires about 4 or 5 hours of volunteering a month. Anyone can volunteer, but those under 18 must have the consent of their parent or legal guardian.
2. Wildwood Outdoor Education Center
Connecting and interacting with nature is important at any age, but especially for children. Wildwood Outdoor Education Center provides low-income kids with crucial outdoor learning experiences through their various summer camp programs. Campers at Wildwood are encouraged to experience outdoor adventures through swimming, hiking, and other nature activities, while also cultivating skills like outdoor cooking, fishing, and arts and crafts.
Although the camp doesn’t open until June, Wildwood needs volunteers now to help make the campgrounds beautiful for campers! Maintenance projects include trail maintenance, painting cabins, helping build the garden, and other tasks. There are also other volunteer positions that will take place during camp, such as camp counselors, activity facilitators, photographers, and healthcare managers.
3. Northland Therapeutic Riding Center
Northland Therapeutic Riding Center (NTRC) is a unique nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of those with special needs through equine therapy. The organization owns 32 scenic acres just north of KC, where they provide riding lessons and EEAT (equine assisted activities). By bonding with horses and building up riders’ confidence, NTRC hopes to bring a sense of hope to individuals with special needs.
Volunteers are a huge part of helping NTRC’s programs stay active. Experience with horses is not required, but there are opportunities for interaction with the animals if you would like to. Interested volunteers undergo a two-hour orientation to learn more about EEAT and familiarize themselves with the horses.
Volunteers must be 14 years of age or older. A love for horses is appreciated, but not required! To learn more, visit their website.
Spring is a great time to get into civic engagement. If none of these opportunities piqued your interest, check out more upcoming volunteer events on our website.
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