More than 26 percent of Americans volunteered from the period September 2010 through 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While volunteers who shelve library books, deliver hot meals to senior citizens and clean out animal cages at a shelter offer invaluable services, some groups of volunteers also earn a nod for serving in some of the more unusual volunteer positions.
If you've ever been called a "clown," this volunteer activity puts your talents to constructive use. Volunteers dress in traditional clown garb to entertain people in hospitals, nursing homes and at charity events, including the Special Olympics and fund-raising events for the American Cancer Association and Make-A-Wish. Clowns make the rounds visiting both children and adults confined to hospital beds and also clown for their friends and families with the hope of bringing a smile. Clowns sometimes offer treats and flowers to patients. Volunteer clowning organizations take all volunteers, and those with a degree from clown colleges might even find an opportunity to help the novice clowns create a unique makeup design or choreograph an act.
Aquariums accept volunteers as office staff and helpers to clean the park. The facilities also encourage volunteers to take jobs doing more ambitious, and unusual, duties. Fish wrangling volunteers work at local aquariums to feed the fish and clean the tanks and habitats. Larger water facilities allow adult volunteers with dive training to take a dip with the fish to clean tanks, examine the fish for injuries and, occasionally, just to play with the underwater creatures.
Wildlife Inventory Taker
Nature preserve administrators take inventory of the wildlife during different seasons to determine the success of preservation efforts. Some programs evaluate the progress of projects designed to re-populate wildlife conservation areas. Volunteers help the administrators at wetlands and parks to log the number and types of birds and animals seen during the day. Workers also take an inventory of the types of plants and trees growing during each season.
Volunteers who enjoy looking down on the planet from space have opportunities to help conservancy groups, including the Nature Conservancy, create online graphics to map hiking and bicycle trails in preserves and nature areas. Volunteers do not need access to an airplane; this experience requires workers to use only a computer and online software available from Google Earth. Experience with computers and the mapping service is required, but training is available online.
Pollution and weather take a toll on the tombstones in historic cemeteries, some dating back to early pioneers. Historical and preservation societies solicit volunteers to clean and restore headstones in early community cemeteries. Some volunteers work as part of a large cleaning crew, while other cleaners work as solo operators after receiving an assignment from the state or local society. No prior experience is necessary, but cleaning does require the volunteer to follow a basic guide so the cleaning doesn't permanently damage the headstones.
- Volunteer Clowns of Orange County (CA): What We Do
- Northridge Hospital Medical Center: Volunteer Opportunities
- Georgia Aquarium: Volunteer at Georgia Aquarium!
- Little River Wetlands Project: Volunteer Opportunities
- The Nature Conservancy: Virginia -- Additional Volunteer Opportunities
- Michigan Historic Cemetery Preservation Manual: Michigan Historic Cemeteries Preservation Guide
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Economic News Release -- Volunteering in the United States, 2011
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