Volunteering

The Heart of Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens

Volunteering with Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens is a tremendously valuable way to support our educational mission and collections. Because Chadwick Arboretum is largely self-supporting, we depend on our hundreds of volunteers to support virtually all areas of our operations. Beginning with our first Volunteer Coordinator, Denise Adams, in 1989, our volunteer corps has grown to include over 250 members who contribute  more than 7000 hours to the arboretum each year. In addition to being directly involved in the programs and operations of our growing and thriving gardens, volunteers have the opportunity to meet new people, increase their knowledge and skills, and experience our beautiful campus. Volunteers have access to formal educational opportunities, such as the Volunteer Day of Education, along with the informal opportunities that arise when working alongside our diverse and fun staff, students, and fellow volunteers.

It isn't necessary to have a horticultural background to volunteer at Chadwick Arboretum. One of the strengths of our volunteer core is the wide variety of backgrounds and interests our members bring to the experience. We even have opportunities that don't directly involve the gardens. Our Volunteer opportunities range from garden maintenance, tree surveys, and assisting with educational programs to event hospitality, photography, and social media management. For many of our events, such as our Spring Plant Sale & Auction, we ask for a commitment of as few as three hours, while other opportunities may be year-round, if you wish.

Long-Term Volunteer

Long-term volunteers are interested in volunteering more than once a month, such as participating in weekly garden maintenance volunteer sessions. The steps to become a long-term volunteer include:

• Fill out Become a Volunteer Today Application
• Set up 1-hour "meet and greet" with the Program Manager
• Sign and submit paperwork (release of claims; photo release)
• Set up Hands on Connect account 
• Submit fingerprint background check (~$37)
  • Only if you are not current faculty, staff, student, or an MGV

Short-Term Volunteer

Short-term volunteers are adults serving a one-time assignment or serving a short-time assignment of approximately one week or less in consecutive days, and/or one day a month or less. For example, volunteering only during the Spring Plant Sale would be considered short-term. The steps to become a short-term volunteer include:

• Receive a role/responsibility orientation
• Sign and submit paperwork (release of claims; photo release)
• Join our mainling list, in case you deide to become a long-term volunteer.

Weekly Garden Maintenance Volunteer Sessions (April - November):

• The Lane Avenue Gardens: Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  Volunteers provide garden maintenance, seasonal color changeouts, and curation of our Van Wade Hosta Collection; Forget Me Not Garden, Labyrinth Garden, Lane Avenue and Fyffe Road corner, and trellis entrance gardens. 
• The Learning Gardens: Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  Volunteers maintain the herbaceous and woody collections in our highly visited Learning Gardens. 
• Arboretum North Pollinator Habitat Restoration: Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
  Volunteers assist horticulture staff with invasive removal, laying paths, planning and planting pollinator habitat at our expansive and beautiful Arboretum North site.
• Biodiversity monitoring: Anytime  
  Help Chadwick Arboretum document the diversity of living (or previously living) organisms at the Arboretum North site. Upload your photos to a phone-based app called iNaturalist to submit photographs of plants, animals, fish, insects, birds or other living organisms found, to help our Arboretum understand our pollinator habitat, and give us clues on how to make improvements. No staff contact needed!

Ready to get going? Start the volunteer application process by filling out our Volunteer Application here.

Master Gardener Volunteers

The Franklin County Master Gardeners and Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens have always had a close relationship. Beginning in 1991 under the guidance of former director Mary Maloney; Jane Martin and Marianne Riofrio, OSU Extension; and Jeanne Youger-Comaty of the Consumer Horticulture Center, the Master Gardener Program has produced plenty of dedicated and enthusiastic horticultural experts.  

Upon graduation, Master Gardeners are encouraged to volunteer in Chadwick arboretum's gardens and at special events, such as our Spring Plant Sale and Auction, as well as for specific Master Gardener supported projects. The knowledge, skills, and experience they share with the arboretum are an invaluable addition to the efforts of our volunteer corps.

If you are interested in the Ohio Master Gardener program, visit the Ohio State Extension Website or the Master Gardener Website.