Needs From: Barrington Area Volunteer Connection

Assist older adults in our community by driving them to and from appointments and errands. All rides are local to the greater Barrington Area in the day time hours, Monday-Friday.  Senior clients must be able to enter/exit car without assistance.

In order to find out more about this opportunity, or simply to get involved: Please click the green “Respond” button on this page. Then, on the next page, add any additional comments and click the green “Submit Response” button. You can expect an email with additional instructions within 1-3 business days after responding.

 Come join us!  No experience necessary.  Restoration Workdays occur in dozens of sites around the county, some on weekdays & some on weekends.  These are no-commitment - come to as many workdays as you can.  Children 10 years & up are welcome with an adult (and waiver signed by legal guardian).   Please be prompt; the group will often head off-trail and you may have a difficult time finding them.  Dress for the weather.  Closed-toe shoes are required & long pants are recommended all year-round.  Bring work gloves. 

SPRING: Brush clearing, garlic mustard control, planting
SUMMER: Garlic mustard control, wildlife monitoring, weed management, planting, seed collecting
FALL: Brush clearing, seed collection, tree & shrub planting
WINTER: Brush clearing, sowing seed

**Call Wes before showing up.  Activities happen most days of the week but check with him first  847/381-0160**

BACOG would love help from a local photographer or resident with a camera phone to help us capture images that show off the amazing Barrington region.  Specifically, we're seeking photographs of resources across the Barrington area, including:

The volunteer must own the rights to the photographs and grant permission for them to be used in BACOG publications, and on its website, social media platforms, and other public forums.

Whether you want to learn more about animals, meet others like yourself, reduce stress with physical activity, or make a difference in the life of an animal, we, and the animals, really appreciate your interest.

To volunteer, you must be 16, or older or 12-15 with a parent or legal guardian alongside you.

We humbly request that volunteers to commit to four hours of service per month.

If you want to work with the animals, our Hooves and Hands program might be right for you! You must be 18 years of age or older and able to commit to three weekend days a month. If interested, please complete the application below and we will contact you as soon as possible.

We will provide on-site orientation when you begin volunteering. Orientation stresses the importance of safety around HAHS and the animals.

No open-toed shoes or loose jewelry allowed for your safety.

Below are examples of activities we typically need help with:

Mucking Stalls

Picking Pastures

Filling Hay Bags

Raking Leaves

Scrubbing Water Buckets

Picking Paddocks

Stuffing Envelopes

Weeding Flowerbeds

Working Events

Come and join our Smart Farm located in Barrington at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital! The Smart Farm donates over 21,000 pounds of produce a year to local food pantries. The farm grows 40-50 crops and 100-150 varieties. There are no animals on the farm.

We are looking for volunteers to provide gardening support to the Smart Farm to help cultivate a healthy, eco-friendly community. 

It's a seasonal assignment from April through the end of October.

We have three different roles available:

Smart Farm field support - volunteers help with planting, weeding, watering, harvesting etc. Volunteers come once a week for a 2-4-hour shift Mon - Fri between 7am – 4pm during the months of mid-April through October (weather-dependent). It’s an activity that requires standing, walking and frequently kneeling on your knees. Volunteers don’t drive tractors or operate electrical/motorized equipment.

Smart Farm flower support - volunteers harvest flowers, learning how / when to cut different species; fill buckets with water, gathering supplies; create bouquets.

Smart Farm stands – we offer our produce for sale at a farm stand. The stand is open at the farm every Friday and at the hospital alternating Thursdays (mid-June through mid-October). Volunteers help with produce set-up and take-down, selecting and bagging produce, as well as processing credit card and cash payments.

We accept summer-only volunteers for this role.

Smart Farm volunteers are Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital volunteers and are required to complete our volunteer onboarding process. To learn more and apply, click here. 

Looking for caring people to bring love, joy, laughter and smiles as we provide animal assisted therapy visits with our magical mini horses.

Mane in Heaven is a all volunteer non profit with the mission of " Connecting people with miniature therapy horses to promote empathy, kindness and overall well being."

We have various programs that  our volunteers are involved in including our therapy visits with our mini horses, virtual visits, mini mail program and our Hope Packages program. 

If you love working with people and making a difference through animal therapy, volunteering with Mane in Heaven Miniature Therapy maybe a good fit for you.

We are looking for volunteers to help groom, train, attend visits with our mini horses and to help with our inclusion program, Hope Boxes, and Mini Mail  We also looking for people who can help with social media, picture taking, and marketing, grant writing. 

www.maneinheaven.org 

See our application below. 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vB7xLd96ijeGoGSBlVSbjxZKmkVFjE3qnUtzZgFlo6w/viewform?edit_requested=true

In addition, please 

In order to find out more about this opportunity, or simply to get involved:

Volunteers (15 years and older) work with our staff to build a team that helps care for our horses, prepare the horses for the lesson, and assist the instructor during the lesson (by leading the horse or sidewalking with the rider) as well as a variety of additional barn tasks. No experience is necessary...we will train.

Program volunteers commit to a specific shift for the duration of the 8 to 14 week session, which allows the same team of horse, rider, instructor, and volunteers to work together to achieve the rider’s goals.

Whether you are an enthusiast with many years of horse experience or come with no experience and would like to learn more, join us and share in the miracles that happen at Walk On.

Walk On needs regular volunteers between the hours of:

Monday and Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. -12 Noon
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The barn is closed on Sundays

All barn volunteers go through a new volunteer orientation to introduce our procedures and start your training. The rest of the training is on-the-job. This position does require a background check for all volunteers 18+.

We require a commitment of at least 2hrs/week for at least 1 quarter. All volunteers sign up for shifts, and we ask that our volunteers commit to coming every week if possible, as we have limited space and rely on volunteers to facilitate lessons.

Please contact our office with any questions about volunteering! When you sign up for this, you will get an additional email with more information about signing up for orientation.

Barrington Area Conservation Trust needs your help on its nature preserves! We need volunteers at many outdoor work days.   We will maintain social distancing and safety.  More information is available on our website at www.bactrust.org.  To register to volunteer and learn more about dates and locations:

1. Please click “respond” on this page.

2. You may expect an email with additional instructions within 1-3 business days after responding.

Note that the volunteer should:

1. Be able to traverse uneven ground

2. Wear a mask

3. Dress for the weather.  Long pants and closed-toe shoes are recommended.

4. Wear work gloves

5. Bring your own reusable water bottle     

The SOUL Harbour Ranch Animal Therapy Program is looking for volunteers to commit to "Ranch Hand" chores that include cleaning the stalls and paddocks as well as the barn.

Would like volunteers to commit to specific days on a weekly basis.

Morning 8am and Evening 6pm times available, 2 hrs maximum each session (averages 1.5)

In order to find out more about this opportunity, or simply to get involved:

In order to find out more about this opportunity, or simply to get involved:

Do you like spending time outdoors? Learning about local plants and wildlife? Getting fresh air and exercise while meeting like-minded neighbors? Then this is the opportunity for you!

Join the Spring Creek Stewards to learn about the natural, native ecosystems of Barrington. Help protect bird species that migrate across the globe, endangered or threatened plant species, and precious natural communities - all in a forest preserve near you. 

In order to find out more about this opportunity, or simply to get involved: