Woodland Cemetery
2019 Woodland Ave.
October 5 9:00-12:00, 12:30-3:30
In 1848, five local farmers donated 5.5 acres of land to create Woodland Cemetery. Today this historic landmark has more than 40,000 people pass by!
Famous figures, soldiers, paupers, babies …Woodland Cemetery is rich with a diverse history and you can help us preserve it. Walking through the cemetery is like walking through Des Moines’ history with names like Hoyt, Sherman, Brody, Younker, Polk, Hubbell and more.
Over the years, dirt, lichens and time have taken a toll on the stones and some have broken down. A generous gift from the community is allowing staff and contractors to lift, straighten and secure stones that have shifted over time. Now, volunteers are needed to gently clean the stones and protect the memories and history within this cemetery.
*Note: If your company/organization is unable to sign-up via Volunteer Local, please feel free to email us at
[email protected] to register.
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WORLD WAR I: 100 YEARS LATER
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Gold Star Memorial (North of Burke Park)
Near 610 East University
Sunday, October 7
Shifts: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., 1:00-3:00 p.m.
November 11 (Armistice Day) marks 100 years since the end of World War I. 114,242 Iowans served in the armed forces during World War I. Marion Crandell, an Iowan, was the first woman to die of injuries in the war and one of the first soldiers killed in combat, Merle David Hay, was also from Iowa. We lost 3,576 in this war. In 1926, Polk County placed a Gold Star Memorial to honor our fallen soldiers.
Join WWI Centennial volunteers and volunteers from the Capitol Park neighborhood (the boyhood home of John Burke, a fallen WWI soldier, the namesake of Burke Park across the street)as they work to re-open the view from this beautiful memorial. Volunteers will remove weed trees from the memorial down to the trail below, exposing the Des Moines River's breathtaking views that were once here.
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Union Park
725 Thompson Avenue
Saturday, October 13
4:00-7:30 Actors/Actresses (5)
4:30-7:30 Candy Crew (5)
4:30-7:30 Check-In Volunteers (3)
4:30-7:30 Pumpkin Contest Hosts (2)
4:30-7:30 Smores Crew (2)
Before winter hits, there's time for one last fall family fun day at Union Park. Event activities include food-eating contests, youth music showcase, pumpkin carving contest, Halloween scavenger hunt, carousel rides and a movie in the park.
We will need helpers to make sure young and old have a great time! Volunteers will help check-in and direct guests, help with pumpkins, making s'mores and handing out candy. Like to Act? We also need actresses/actors for Halloween educational characters. Our Environmental Education Supervisor will provide costumes and script.
*Background check required.
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Hartford Avenue Corridor
Friday, October 26, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
(10 Volunteers Needed)
Join us for a street beautification project! Volunteers are needed to plant trees. Hartford Avenue provides an entrance to the James W. Cownie Soccer and Baseball Parks. Hundreds of thousands of participants have traveled from near and far down this avenue to attend tournaments and games.
Thanks to a generous donation new park signage will welcome guests. The new trees will complement the signage and line the street corridor.
Volunteers must wear long pants, close-toed shoes or boots and come prepared to work outdoors in fall weather. Volunteers will be walking in the right of way, on uneven surfaces so safety vests will be provided. Volunteers must bend, lift, twist and carry items to complete the project.
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Thank you September Yoga instructors Jen Bramble, Shelby Kruse, Jenny Klein and Ofelia Mohr and to all Yoga Instructors who helped make Yoga in the Park a huge success. More than 3,000 people attended Yoga this year!
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Thank you to all of our UPCYCLE volunteers this summer. 32 volunteers joined us over 3 dates and donated more than $2,000 in time to help remove invasive plants from around Gray's Lake Park. Also a huge thank you to our partners at the Blank Park Zoo, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Trees Forever and Confluence Brewing for making this a success!
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On September 22, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of National Public Lands Day. Almost 30 volunteers came out to pick up litter, clean up the creek and remove invasive plants to help improve the Yeader Creek Watershed and Ewing Park. The donated 60 hours of time valued at more than $1400. Thank you to all of the volunteers and our partners from Polk County Conservation, Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Izaak Walton League, REI, Active Endeavors and CITA for making this new event a success.
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Nature Trail Running completed a second successful season thanks to our friends at Fleet Feet and Capitol Striders. Volunteers Amber Crews and Jason Kenyon led runners on Wednesdays. We had 109 runners participate (52 of them were new). Thank you to all the runners, instructors and sponsors!
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Thank you to VOYA volunteers for keeping our Tom and Sophie Vlassis Parkway beautiful and safe. They painted around 200 bollards. We appreciate your hard work.
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Woodland Cemetery is rich with a diverse history! Thank you to Wells Fargo, Central Campus STEP, EMC, Homesteader's Life, House of Mercy, Iowa State Alumni Association, Sons of the American Revolution, VOYA and many individuals (almost 100 have signed up so far!) for saving a part of our community's history.
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In 2019, Des Moines Parks and Recreation celebrates the 125th anniversary of the opening of its first four parks-Greenwood, Union, Grandview and Waveland. Today we have more than 4,000 acres of parkland. Friends of Des Moines Parks are seeking 100 talented photographers to participate in The Parks Photo Project between now and May 2019. Help capture the full range of what Parks and Recreation has to offer. Submissions are up to the photographer on what they'd like to shoot from a quiet morning to an evening softball game. The opportunities are endless!
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