National Volunteer Week 2022: Thanking the Park Service's Volunteers

National Park Service volunteers at work in parks and communities. NPS.

The Volunteers-In-Parks program

Every year nearly 300,000 volunteers give national parks more than 6.5 million hours of service. The Park Service calls them VIPs, from the Volunteers-In-Parks program. They work alongside park employees across the country to preserve the nation's natural, historical, recreational and cultural treasures, and are essential to the Park Service's mission.

National Volunteer Week 2022

The 2022 celebration ran April 17–23. On April 15, President Biden proclaimed National Volunteer Week in a presidential proclamation, calling America a country built on service.

To the millions who have volunteered since the program began more than 50 years ago, the Park Service offered its thanks: their time and talent help protect natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.

Ways to join in

• Thank a volunteer you meet on a park visit.
• Sign up — learn about volunteering or find a volunteer event near you.
• Share your story on social media, tagging the National Park Service and your favorite park, with #NPSVolunteer and #NationalParkWeek.

Becoming a volunteer

The program offers opportunities for individuals and groups, behind the scenes or on the front line:

• from a one-time project or event to a longer-term position;
• alongside park staff or with one of the Park Service's many partner organizations;
• at parks across the United States, including the territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Some positions need particular skills and a background check; others need only the willingness to help.

Find opportunities at Volunteer.gov, through volunteer events, or by contacting a park near you.

Sources

Based on "Celebrating National Volunteer Week 2022," Volunteers-In-Parks, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The program's logo, an NPS insignia, is not reproduced.