Box1

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Box2

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Box3

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Box4

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Box5

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Box6

Friends & Partners
Volunteers - Getting Involved

Media & Press

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Volunteer with us!

The Department of Parks and Recreation has many different volunteer programs for your participation.

Most of our community parks have athletic, after school, tiny-tot and general park operations volunteer programs.

Our Regional Park Facilities may have more specialized volunteer programs that range from Docents at our Nature Centers and Botanic Gardens, Mounted Assistance Units for our equsestrain trails and tour guides for our many school tours that are conducted.

To find out more information at the facility of your choice, it is best to contact the facility directly. The facility will help with the information and the application process for becoming a volunteer.

We also have many projects available to help you complete an educational requirement for Community Service.

Volunteer types

The Department of Parks and Recreation has different volunteer types:

Year-Round Volunteers: These volunteers assist our park staff with day to day operations of our facilities and on-going programs. Many of these volunteers participate in many of our volunteer programs. Their asssitance helps keep our parks running smoothly.

Seasonal Volunteers: The majority of our Seasonal Volunteers are coaches or officials for our sport programs.

Specalized Volunteers: We have many Specalized Volunteer programs. Our Mounted Assistance Units patrol our many trails on horseback, providing public information and assistance to our many hikers and trailriders. They also provide us with information on trails that may need maintenance, or have certain problems. Our Nature Center Docents help with tours and educational programs at our many Nature centers, as do Docents and Volunteers at the Arboretum and other Botanic Gardens.

Group Volunteers:** Group Volunteers as members of an organization, such as a school, church, Boy/Girl Scouts, or business/corporation, that enhance our facilities by coming out at a specific time to complete community service projects.

Special Event Volunteers:** Many people come to volunteer for a specific event at a park. Generally they volunteer for no more than three days and for a specific purpose.

Student Volunteers:** Student Volunteers are volunteers that come out to satisfy a course, or school requirement. This also includes members of scouting organizations that need to complete some type of project for their advancement.

Except for the volunteer types indicated by the (**), all volunteers must complete the application and background process, prior to the start of their service at any of our facilities.

To become a volunteer

The Department of Parks and Recreation requires that each volunteer be registered, complete the background check, and record their volunteered hours.

Registration:

Every potential volunteer must complete the Volunteer Application. The application can be downloaded from this website or obtained from a Parks and Recreation Facility. The application should be returned to the facility where you wish to volunteer.

The potentail volunteer shall also receive and sign the receipt of the Volunteer Manual, which explains the volunteer guidelines and policies.

Background Check:

Since we deal with the public in our day to day operations, every volunteer applicant must pass a background check prior to the start of their service with the Department. The background check consists of a criminal history report from the California Department of Justice via Live-Scanning. Not all convictions are exclusionary to our volunteer programs. The general area of concern are violent or sexual crimes or crimes against children or the elderly. Failure to disclose a conviction, that has not been dismissed per section 1203.4 of th California Penal Code, on the application will be grounds for dismissal, or rejection of the application.

Upon the completion and submittal of the Volunteer Application, the applicant should be given a Live Scan Request Form and directed to the Parks and Recreation Facility where the applicant can be scanned. The applicant must present their identification at the Live Scan facility such as a California Driver’s License, California ID, or other governement issued identification.

Contact your desired facility for more information on volunteering and available Volunteer programs.


For more information about volunteering with the Department of Parks and Recreation, please email to volunteers@parks.lacounty.gov

or call Manny Moreno at (213) 351-8986











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