Volunteer with Friends of Shelby
Volunteers breathe life into our mission to preserve, protect, and enhance Shelby Park and Bottoms. Volunteers are at the heart of Friends of Shelby: planting trees, picking up trash, maintaining trails, assisting with special events, and helping with various larger projects.
Check out all the ways to get involved, and sign up today to receive updates on volunteer opportunities.
All ongoing volunteer projects are family friendly, so long as volunteers under the age of 18 are accompanied by a legal guardian. Dogs are allowed at trash pickup events so long as they are friendly with other dogs and kept on a 6 foot leash at all times.
Keep scrolling to sign up for upcoming events and projects!
Upcoming Volunteer
EVENTS
Cornelia Airpark Concert
SAT Aug 22nd
The final 2026 Cornelia Airpark Concert of the summer is right around the corner! Don’t miss your last chance to come out for a great evening of tunes, food, and fun with your community of neighbors. Our wonderful volunteers help us make this night of summertime magic happen — from tent set-up, selling tickets, checking ID’s, and serving drinks, we really couldn’t put them on without you! Click the link below to sign up for a shift: Volunteers get a free t-shirt for their help and those over 21 get a free beer on us!
Fridays By The River
September and October dates are live!
They’re back! The time for Fridays by the River is back and volunteers are the heartbeat of these events. Help Friends of Shelby staff with event setup or assist with ID check, ecostations, and merch and beer sales. Volunteers will receive a Friends of Shelby shirt and those helping out over 21 will get (1) free drink ticket.
Golden Pheasant Triathlon
SUN Sept 27th | Shifts available from 8 AM to 11:30 AM
This fun kayak, bike, run is a single-distance event that celebrates the search for the mysterious bird in one of Nashville's most beloved parks, Shelby Park and Bottoms. Volunteers help us with set-up, registration check-in, refreshments, and route monitoring and are a key part of all the fun!
Upcoming Volunteer
PROJECTs
Painting Safety Bollards
SUN Aug 16th (9 - 11 AM)
Our park bollards (the tall metal poles that line roadways) help keep drivers safe on our windy roads in Shelby, and they need a fresh coat of paint! Volunteers will join us for a morning of painting to help keep park users safe. This is a great opportunity for everyone of all ages!
Click here to volunteer!
Nature Center Garden Help
THU Aug 20th (9:30 - 11 AM)
Join us at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center for a morning of community gardening! We will be working in the Pollinator Garden to pull weeds, remove unwanted plants, and mulch as needed. This will help to allow the flowering plants which attract all kinds of native wildlife to thrive and allow our community to enjoy them to their fullest!
Click here to volunteer!
Cornelia Teardown & Clean-up
TUE Aug 25th (9 AM - 12 PM)
Another year in the books of a wonderful, tune-filled summer with our Cornelia Airpark Concert series! These events are always so fun and a great way to share a meal, laugh, and dance with the community. With the final concert being August 22nd, we’ll need a hand tearing down the stage and cleaning up from all the excitement.
Click here to volunteer!
Shelby Ave. Arboretum Volunteer Day
SAT Sept 26th (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Join Nashville Tree Conservation Corps in their goal to maintain the Shelby Avenue Arboretum by mulching and hauling away brush! Volunteers will help maintain one of Nashville's treasured green spaces through hands-on stewardship activities that support the health and beauty of the arboretum. Volunteer opportunities include mulching arboretum trees, hauling away brush, and assisting with educational outreach materials
Click here to volunteer!
SHELBY PARK AMBASSADORS
Next training dates are Thursday, August 27th and Sunday, August 30th
Click here to sign-up!
Do you love Shelby Park and Bottoms? Would you like to be more involved in park events, the community, and Friends of Shelby? Join our Park Ambassador program! Park Ambassadors help achieve our mission of preserving, enhancing and protecting the park by increasing our community outreach via tabling, events, and open houses. In this reoccurring volunteer program, you will learn all there is to know about the park, FOS, and how-to share this valuable information with the public!
Interested in joining the team? Send an email to linds@friendsofshelby.org!
Community Group Volunteer Program
Friends of Shelby loves to work with groups. Whether it's your ten-person office or your 100-person church, please reach out and see if we have a project that would suit your goals. Friends of Shelby helps coordinate the project and provides tools, gloves, and work project assignments to match the size and capabilities of any volunteer group. Each volunteer day begins with an orientation including the goals of the park improvement effort, tool training, and general safety rules.
If you are interested in a project for your group, please click the button below and fill out our interest form!
Questions? Email our Volunteer Program Manager at linds@friendsofshelby.org.
Thank you to our community partners
We could not do this great work without your help
Funding for the volunteer program provided by the Grateful Daniel Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
