Volunteering is Love!

What do chocolate, flowers and volunteering have in common? They are all ways to show love! Yes, volunteering is how many residents show their love for our City.

In January, Volunteer Columbia conducted our annual survey of those who volunteered the previous year. Thanks to the nearly 100 of you who provided your feedback. Here are a few of the comments on what you like best about volunteering with the City of Columbia:

• Helping my community, meeting others that I haven't met before.
• Keeping trails safe; helping others enjoy nature and movement.
• I like being able to make a difference and make our place better.
• It makes me feel good and the community becomes cleaner.
• I love the feeling of giving back and meeting fellow community members.

Thanks for giving your love to the City of Columbia! Keep it coming!

Volunteer with the Stonegrinder 7K

Columbia Parks & Recreation has one more winter 7K run that need your help! The Stonegrinder 7K will be held Saturday, February 19. Bundle up and show your support to these runners! Shifts include helping with registration - 7:30-9 a.m., staffing the aid station - 8:15-10:45 a.m., course direction - 8:15-10:45 a.m. and finish line/post race food - 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Volunteers will report to Capen Park and the Grindstone Nature Area.

Self-schedule or contact us to help!

For those passionate about protecting the environment

Waste reduction and recycling are actions everyone can take to conserve natural resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help ensure sustainability for future generations. Help reduce waste in Columbia by promoting proper recycling and waste reduction through our Recycling Ambassadors Program.

Recycling Ambassadors help to educate the community to reduce waste in Columbia and increase our recycling rate. Trainees are asked to share 12 hours of service promoting waste reduction and recycling. Opportunities include staffing education booths, giving presentations, community outreach projects and assisting with waste audits and education events. Pictured is volunteer Susie Miller teaching about recycling at Children's House Montessori.

Recycling Ambassadors Volunteer Training:  

Thursday, February 24

12:30p.m.-2:30p.m.

City Hall, 701 E. Broadway, room 1A

There will be ample room for distancing. Masks are recommended.

Register here

Volunteer with Blue Thunder Track Club

Even thought the groundhog (and the calendar!) tells us there will be six more weeks of winter, we know spring is right around the corner! With spring comes the Blue Thunder Track Club with practices starting April 5. Assistant coaches are needed for a variety of track & field disciplines.

Read more and contact Camren Cross to get involved.

Meet Verna Laboy, our new Volunteer Programs Specialist

New to our team is Verna Laboy. She comes to the City's Volunteer Program by way of the Columbia-Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services after leading an award winning public health initiative, "Live Well by Faith" for 5.5 years. The program addresses health disparities in the Black Community through their places of worship.

Verna is a great fit for our City’s Volunteer programs. She has the “Wow Factor.” She loves people, never meets a stranger, and she meets new friends. She is known as a community activist and a voice for the people. She has received several community leadership awards as a Columbia Community Volunteer Champion.

Verna has been busy making connections with City department leaders, discussing and developing new meaningful volunteer opportunities. She joins Volunteer Columbia staff Jody Cook, Volunteer Programs Specialist, who works with recycling, waste reduction and litter control programs, and Leigh Kottwitz, Neighborhood Services Manager.

Verna shares: I love Columbia! I look forward to recruiting & deploying “talent/genius” in our community to various departments and special events throughout the city. I love gardening and landscaping as a hobby and can now share that passion through our “Adopt a Spot” program. 

Volunteering your time, skills, and resources is one of the most powerful ways to make a difference, to help others, and as it turns out, to enhance your wellbeing.

Volunteering might take you to a new part of your community you have never been to before. Volunteer programs can give you the opportunity to bring people into your social network you otherwise wouldn’t get to meet and learn from those who come from different walks of life. I’m looking forward to connecting with you connecting you to meaningful volunteer opportunities that will both enhance your life and our community. Let’s get started!

"Miz Verna" M-Motivated, I-Inspired, Z-Zealous was born to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Contact Verna at [email protected] or 573-874-7499.

Litter Team Cleanups

Volunteers are instrumental to keeping Columbia’s streets, parks and streams clean. Litter Team events are scheduled monthly. Volunteer or staff leaders provide supplies and direction. Self schedule, email Jody Cook or call 573-874-6271 for more information. 

• Cancelled due to snow cover: Saturday, February 5^th, 10a.m.-12p.m. Volunteers will meet at Cosmo Park, 1615 Business Loop 70 W.
• Saturday, February 26, 10a.m. – 12p.m. Volunteers will meet at MBS Books, 2711 W. Ash St.
• Saturday, March 19, 10a.m. – 12p.m. Volunteers will meet at Grace Bible Church, 601 Blue Ridge Rd
• Saturday, April 9, 10a.m. – 12p.m. Volunteers will meet at Senior Marketing Specialist, 803 Gray Oak
• Saturday, April 23, 9a.m. -11a.m. Volunteers will meet at Faith Baptist Church, 3909 Brown Station Rd.

Cleanup Columbia - Choose your own adventure!

Our annual city-wide litter pick up event, Cleanup Columbia, will be held again in April. We had such a positive response last year to participants picking their own date and time for litter pickup, we will take that approach again in 2022!

Registration is open here

Group Specific Litter Events

If you are interested in arranging a litter event specific to your group, we are happy to assign a location and provide all needed supplies. For more information email Jody Cook or call 573-874-6271.

Volunteer of the Month - Dignory Carmona

When extraordinary volunteers come to mind, Dignory "Dig" Carmona Luna stands out. In her home city Cali, Colombia, Dig volunteered with several daycares to support children through activities and tutoring. After moving to the United States, she has since become a familiar face at many City of Columbia events. She has taken on leadership roles with Household Hazardous Waste and Litter Team events and helped with Parks & Recreation special events including Fire in the Sky and the Columbia Youth Track Meet.

As an international resident, Dig feels welcomed at City events; they give her the opportunity to make new friends and learn more about the community. She says that “America has given me so much. From the experiences, to the amazing new people I now have in my life. I will always be grateful for that.”

Volunteering also gives Dig a sense of purpose. She loves making an impact on the community through her service. Based on the fun experiences she has had, Dig encourages others to get involved with the community. She believes that being a part of something larger than yourself and giving back is an important act for everyone to do.

We are so grateful for Dig and all of the warmth and energy she has brought to our community. We are honored to have her as one of our volunteers. Thank you so much for your time and service, Dig! 

Read about other Volunteers of the Month