Volunteering with us can bring you many benefits — from learning successful gardening techniques, to having the satisfaction of doing something good for the environment. Docents will improve their public speaking skills and have an opportunity to introduce the park to visitors. High school students can earn community service credits. And helping with our children’s education programs can be fun and fulfilling for volunteers.

If you don’t have time to volunteer on a regular basis, please consider helping out at one of our special events, like Pumpkins in the Park or Spring in Guadalupe Gardens. We need many people to present these events and your help on a one-time basis would be greatly appreciated. Meet new friends and help us maintain the Gardens at the same time!

Volunteer Opportunities

Orchard Volunteer Workday – Sat. June 1st, 8:30-11:30am.  To sign up, click here.

Evening Rose Garden Deadheading and FREE Ice Cream! – Tues. June 11th, 5:30-7:30pm. To sign up, click here.

Rose Garden Workdays -  Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30am For more info click here

Please call us at 408-298-7657 to schedule a volunteer session.

Some drop-ins for regularly scheduled work days are okay, but groups of 3 or more need to be scheduled in advance. Thanks!

Volunteer Form for Adults

Volunteer Form For Minors
Minors will need the form below signed by a parent or guardian. Minors 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or teacher at a 10:1 ratio.

Volunteer Opportunities

Corporate/Group Work Days

We offer a unique team building environment for your group that incorporates the park’s Heritage Rose Garden, three-acre orchard, hiking and biking trails, and much more. We will work with you to find the right project for your group and then provide an orientation and training that day. Our year round activities can last three hours or a full day and vary depending on the season and current needs. We are able to accommodate just about any sized group!  Here are some of the companies we have worked with: Adobe, Apple, Applied Materials, Berliner Cohen, Brocade, Cisco, Cupertino Electric, Deloitte, e-Bay, Ernst & Young, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Kaiser Permanente, KPMG, NEC, and PG & E. Click here to our Community Service Opportunities flier (262 kb .pdf file).

Gardens

Please come prepared with clothes you can get dirty. Long pants, closed toed shoes, water bottles and sun protection (hat and sunscreen) are a must. All tools provided!

San Jose Heritage Rose Garden

Community Workdays

Every Wednesday and Saturday (weather permitting)
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM

No need to sign up for groups of 3 or less…call 408-298-7657 to schedule a group of 3 or more.

Note: in the summer we host one evening pruning session per month.  These dates can be seen on our calendar.

Historic Orchard

Help preserve a portion of the old Santa Clara Valley when orchards stretched across the valley floor. We are looking for volunteers to help maintain the Historic Orchard in the garden area of the Guadalupe River Park. Workdays are the first Saturday of the month from 9 am to noon. To sign up, click here.

Courtyard Recycled Water Garden & Taylor Street Rock Garden

These gardens do not have regularly schedule work days but still need plenty of TLC.  Please call 408-298-7657 to schedule a work group.

River Clean Ups & Trail Maintenance

At least twice a year the Conservancy organizes river clean-up efforts in the area between Coleman Avenue and HWY 880. This is a great opportunity to meet with friends, co-workers or new friends who share an interest in maintaining the beauty of the river and protecting the natural habitat.  The award-winning 254 acre park, including 2.6 miles of trails, offers visitors an opportunity to explore nature, enjoy the many water features and playground areas, or travel the trails that meander through the park.  Volunteers can help the City of San Jose to maintain the areas of the trail on the 2.6 miles of trail from Hwy. 280 to 880. Projects could include weeding, planting, spread mulch, trimming trees, refurbish park benches, cleaning signs, etc.

Student Interns

Interns work in all areas of our operations, including our Education and Volunteer programs as well as event planning.

Education Volunteers

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy offer a full calendar of classes and workshops for adults and children. Many of these classes, particularly the ones for children, require volunteers to prepare materials in advance and instructors/assistants to help the education staff deliver the programs. Education volunteers actively participate in all facets of our activities, including, but not limited to, assistance with after school workshops for children, field trip programs, education booths at festivals, our research library, annual Water Wizard Festival, the compost demonstration site, adult workshops, and preparing material for educational programs.

Special Events

We hold several special events every year including Spring in Guadalupe Gardens (April), Water Wizard Festival (May), and Pumpkins in the Park (October). Volunteers are recruited to do a variety of tasks for these events including planning, set-up and breakdown, booth staffing, educational activities, and food sales.

Office Volunteer

An abundance of volunteer opportunities exist in our office at the Visitor & Education Center. Activities include clerical work, organizing the library, preparing materials for educational programs, etc. Other tasks can be performed from home. Volunteer efforts in the office allow the conservancy staff to focus on expanding programs and reaching out even further to the community. Commitment will vary depending on volunteer’s availability. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 5:00 pm.