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.

Keep scrolling to sign up for upcoming events!

Upcoming Volunteer OPPORTUNITIES

Fridays by the River

Just because our concert season is almost over doesn’t mean there isn’t more fun in store! We’re headed right into the next season of Fridays by the River, our weekly pop-up beer garden in partnership with East Nashville Beer Works. Volunteers get a free t-shirt and drink (for those 21+) to say thank you for helping us put on these beloved events! Click the date below that you’d like to sign up. 🍺

September 12th - September 19th - September 26th - October 3rd - October 10th - October 17th

9th Annual Golden Pheasant Triathlon - Sunday, September 28th

We are looking for volunteers to help with setup, registration, refreshments, and race coordination for the 9th Annual Golden Pheasant Triathlon. This race celebrates the mysterious bird, the Golden Pheasant, and takes participants through the forest and on the river (via kayak)! Volunteers working the event will receive a FOS volunteer t-shirt. Please join us for a fun morning of cheering on community members!
Click here to volunteer!

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Trash Pick Up - FRI. September 12th (9-11 AM)
Help keep Shelby Park beautiful! Join Friends of Shelby and your friends and neighbors as we do a park wide sweep of trash to restore the natural beauty of this public space and keep litter off the ground and out of our streams and rivers. This is a great opportunity for everyone of all ages, and its also dog-friendly (so long as they’re friendly and kept on a 6’ leash)!
Click here to volunteer!

Restore the Forest Crew Leader Training - SAT. September 13th (9-11 AM)

As volunteers, our Crew Leaders greatly expand our capacity for environmental restoration in Shelby Park and Bottoms. In order to become a Crew Leader, you must attend this training, which will be a combination of a digital presentation and in-field practice. This is a great way to get involved with Friends of Shelby in a deeper way while learning more about our local ecology!
Click here to sign up!

Nature Center Garden Help - THU. September 18th (9:30-11 AM)

The Shelby Bottoms Nature Center’s garden is in full bloom, and they need help keeping it looking its best! You’ll be weeding, watering, trimming, or mulching, so come prepared to get your hands dirty. Sights of happy butterflies and bees are guaranteed!
Click here to volunteer!

Restore the Forest Invasive Plant Removal - TUE. September 23rd (1-3:30 PM)

Do you love conservation? Want to work outdoors to protect the natural ecosystems of Shelby Park and Bottoms? We need you! Shelby Park and Bottoms is a natural oasis in the heart of the city. The forests here are a refuge for people and wildlife alike. Our Shelby forests need help: they are being overtaken by invasive plant species. Through our Restore the Forest program, we remove invasive species and replant native species to revitalize a healthy forest ecosystem.
Click here to volunteer!

Creating Stamped Coasters - WED. October 1st (9-11 AM)

Join Friends of Shelby staff in making thank you gifts for our park supporters! Every year, we have hundreds of community members that donate money towards our organization’s mission and programs, and we spend the month of October thanking them with gifts and special events. This year, we’re creating stamped coasters out of reclaimed wood as a keepsake from the park, and we need some help making them! All materials will be provided for this laid-back crafting opportunity.
Click here to volunteer!

SHELBY PARK AMBASSADORS

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 long-term volunteer program, you will learn all there is to know about the park and FOS and share this valuable information with the public!

Next Training: Saturday, August 30th (2-4 PM)
Click here to sign up!

Can’t make it? Click here instead to fill out our general availability survey!

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 Community Outreach and Volunteer Leader at cd@friendsofshelby.org.

GROUP VOLUNTEER EVENT INTEREST FORM