Volunteer time & talents
- 205-387-1806
- wonderful@campmcdowell.org
Volunteer Time & Talents
"...and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft." Exodus 31:3-5 (NRSV)
If you or your group are interested in donating your time or talent to help make McDowell even more wonderful, send a message to wonderful@campmcdowell.org and let us know how many people might be involved and what you might be interested in doing (if you know). We will connect you with the right staff person.
Eagle Scouts, scout groups, college groups, youth groups, women's and men's retreats, team-building projects, parish retreats, groups looking for service projects (for Lent or any time of the year) or ANYONE can volunteer. We would be honored to be the recipient of your time & skills.
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Hundreds of people helped raise the Atkins Animal House (a.k.a. the Big Barn) on Mark's Farm during the construction of Bethany Village.
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Camp was blessed by having several folks volunteer their time and talents to reconstruct the Green Street Market Barn (a.k.a. the Goat Barn) after the original barn burnt down in 2019.
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This beautiful garden in front of Miss Mary's in Miller Commons was planted by Ms. Betty, who has been generous with her amazing green thumb for years!
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Tons of volunteers came out to help plant an orchard of fruit trees in November of 2012.
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Hubert Pearce was a great mentor to Hunter McSpadden, who volunteered to install solar lighting around camp as part of his Eagle Scout rank.
Jody McSpadden
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Clyde Pearce and his crew come out to camp annually to do large service projects, like construct a connecting porch on the Camp Store, and constructing many of the camp playgrounds.
Kate Murphy
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![Christ Epis Ms Betty volunteer.jpg]( "Members of Christ Episcopal Church helped Miss Betty and staff member, Brandon Pennington, with some gardening projects while on their parish retreat.")
Members of Christ Episcopal Church helped Miss Betty and staff member, Brandon Pennington, with some gardening projects while on their parish retreat.
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![Candice chenault bethanys kids volunteer.jpg]( "Candice Chanault regularly volunteers her fabulous musical skills for camp events, like Bethany's Kids.")
Candice Chanault regularly volunteers her fabulous musical skills for camp events, like Bethany's Kids.
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![0Y9A7965.jpg]( "The labyrinth at McDowell was constructed in 1998 by Rev. Mark Johnston, some Eagle Scouts, Robin Belk, and several other volunteers. Various groups have volunteered to maintain it throughout the years.")
The labyrinth at McDowell was constructed in 1998 by Rev. Mark Johnston, some Eagle Scouts, Robin Belk, and several other volunteers. Various groups have volunteered to maintain it throughout the years.
Blakeney Cox
Volunteer to help as an adult staff member for a McDowell event: McDowell hosts several retreats and events throughout the year including Mother/Daughter and Father/Son Retreats, Family Farm to Table, Farm Folk Weekend, Awakenings, Winter Weekend, Our Time, and others. We need adult volunteers to help in leadership positions, to be on music staff, or to help supervise youth throughout the session.
Volunteer to help with Summer Camp: If your interests are specific to Summer Camp, click HERE to see opportunities to get involved.
Clear trails: With over 5 miles of hiking trails throughout our 1,140 acres, it can be challenging keeping up with Mother Nature. We use specific methods that protect the natural environment when clearing trails and all clearing efforts must be coordinated around guests' activity.
Plant: Depending on the time year, many times, we could use help planting in our production fields or planting for decorative purposes outside of buildings, at the front entrance, or around camp.
Pick: Since we're planting, we also need to pick and harvest our gardens. The students participating at the Farm School help out a lot with this. However, there are times when we need additional assistance harvesting. (Blueberries anyone?)
Paint: Camp has over 60 buildings and countless other structures including benches, signs, and so forth. Many of these could use a coat or two of love in the form of paint!
Fix something: Help us fix something that needs fixing!
Tackle a project: We have an on-going list of projects that need to be completed or are on our wish list. Some are big projects and some are small. Some require unique skills and some don't. If you're looking for a project, we can help you find one.