Become a volunteer
Spark Central is a volunteer-powered organization. We rely on ordinary heroes like you to keep the engine running! Whatever your talents - we need your help and are excited to bring your passions to Spark Central. Build value for yourself and your community while having fun, gaining skills, and building relationships. Below you’ll find things that volunteers commonly do - expand the drop-down menus to see details. If you want to learn more about our specific programs, click the links to the program pages!
During COVID-19, keeping our community of volunteers, patrons, and staff healthy is our top priority! Click here to learn more about our COVID-19 safety protocol.
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
MENTOR YOUTH IN THEIR CREATIVITY
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Details:
· Mentor kids in grades 3-5 for up to a full school year.
· Support kids with projects like writing a newspaper article or creating a comic.Volunteer Commitment:
· Anywhere between one and four days per week (you do not need to volunteer at both schools)
· 3 - 5 PM
· Tuesday & Thursday at Audubon Elementary
· Wednesday & Friday at Holmes Elementary. -
Details:
· Join a playful, multi-day camp for elementary or middle school youth.
· Help kids get excited and stay excited about all kinds of creative projects.
· No special skills needed - just bring your best self!
· Camps occur during summer, spring, and winter breaks during the District 81 school year.Volunteer Commitment:
· Dates and times vary. Camps generally run 3 or 4 days for 2 hours each. Camp volunteers try to attend each day.To learn more about volunteering at Spark Central’s camps and workshops, click here.
SHARE YOUR TALENTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY
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Details:
· Relaxed programs that anyone can walk in and join.
· Recur at least once a month.
· Most drop-in programs are volunteer-planned and led. Starting a drop-in program is a great way to share your own creative passions!Volunteer Commitment:
· Drop-in programs typically last 1-3 hours and occur weekly to monthly.
· Some existing drop-in programs need extra volunteers to make them as effective and fun as they can be. These programs’ schedules are already set.To see our current drop-in programs and learn how to create your own, click here.
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Details:
· Help make all kinds of families feel welcome.
· Help facilitate arts, crafts, and other creative activities.
· Meet new people in a relaxed and open environment!Volunteer Commitment:
· Typically one night, 2-3 hours each.
· Event dates vary; we’re aiming for one or two each month.Learn more about volunteering at Community & Family Events by clicking here.
HELP EVERYONE ACCESS OUR RESOURCES
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Details:
· Help adults and youth feel safe and welcomed in our space.
· Check out books, computers, and more using our library system.Volunteer Commitment:
· One or more days a week.
· Typically 2-3 hours each shift, but we’re flexible!
· Wacky schedule? We’re also in need of substitutes! We’ll call you if we need station coverage and you’ll have complete freedom to say yes or no. -
Details:
· Attend events and talk about Spark Central.
· Hand out flyers.
· Encourage volunteer, program, and/or membership sign-ups.Volunteer Commitment:
· Varies. Dates & times TBD as opportunities arise, but generally 2-3 hours. -
We have lots of other ways to help! Some of those include:
- Graphic design volunteers
- Maintenance volunteers
- Fundraising & events volunteers
- Data entry volunteers
- Photography/videography volunteers
- Any help you’d like to provide in any other capacity!
get started
First, you’ll need to attend a Volunteer Orientation. These are scheduled for the second and fourth Saturday of the month from 3:00-4:00 PM. However, if this time doesn’t work for you, please email volunteers@spark-central.org or click the orange button below and we will do our best to match your availability!
At orientation, we’ll fill out your volunteer registration form together. This gives us important information like what you’re interested in and your emergency contact information.
Registration Disclaimer: All registrations are subject to background checks. Background checks can take up to a full week to process. Spark Central reserves the right to refuse any volunteer registration if staff believes the person to be a poor fit for representing Spark to the community or believes them to be insensitive to the needs of minors.
Please also read the volunteer handbook prior to your first day volunteering with us. You will receive one at orientation, or you can access it online here!
And that’s it! We’ll contact you once your background check has been approved so you know you’re ready to volunteer. We will try to keep you up to date on upcoming volunteer needs based on your interests - but if you see or hear about something you’d love to help with, feel free to email volunteers@spark-central.org and let us know!
want to get involved as a company or team?
Become a corporate partner! Our corporate partners play a vital role in keeping our services accessible to those who need sponsoring a station within our space or becoming a youth program sponsor is a great way to make our community a better place. We love to recognize our generous sponsors on our website, in our newsletters, and on social media. Contact us for more information!
Our way of saying thanks for your volunteer power…
Volunteering at Spark Central means you are part of a special community who give back as they share their talents and build relationships that go beyond Spark Central. These writers, artists, musicians, makers, and generous folks of all kinds bring vibrancy and imagination to our programs.
In thanks, we host Creative Circle—a special series of events which honors our current volunteers, recruits new ones, and ignites creativity for all who attend.