The Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department provides many types and levels of service that reflect the interest of citizens, opening up many positions for student volunteers to improve the community.

“There are a multitude of things that a person can do to get involved,” Recreation Superintendent Gustavo Vergara said. “The key is that if anyone wants to get involved, we can make that happen for them.”

The department provides facilities and programs for volunteers to enhance the quality of life in the community. Volunteers can reap various benefits such as earning Bright Futures credits, learning new skills and meeting people.

“We have many facilities that all need volunteers,” Vergara said. “Some of the jobs can include physical labor and some require a lot of care and responsibility.”

The Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department offers services at many parks and facilities available throughout the county, including 108 parks, three campgrounds, three golf courses, six nature centers, 42 beach access sites, 13 school athletic sites and more than 17,000 acres of environmentally endangered land sanctuaries and conservation areas.

“Between our programs and the programs our recreation partners host at our facilities, we log tens of thousands of volunteer hours per year,” Vergara said.

Student volunteers can do many things such as mentor younger children, help with leagues or recreation partner leagues, clean up parks, work at camp programs, and assist at special events.

“I might consider volunteering at the parks over the summer to get ahead on my hours,” said seventh grader Alexa E. “It would be fun or boring depending on what I’m doing.”

“We have several community centers that are always looking for volunteers,” Vergara said. “The easiest way [to register] is for a student to find a site they would like to volunteer at and contact that site themselves.”

A complete listing of all sites and events can be found at www.brevardparks.com/south.

By Taylor Eenhuis