Volunteer
Volunteer with PC today!
PC's success depends on the dedication and talents of thousands of volunteers. Below is a list of our ongoing volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer Opportunities:
New Canal Lighthouse Museum Tour Guide: Join Our Docent Program
Docents are volunteers who serve as tour guides and educators at the New Canal Lighthouse. PC offers a 1-hour docent training program followed by self-practice and shadowing to prepare volunteers interested in docenting at the New Canal Lighthouse Museum. Docent volunteers lead guided tours through the museum and can also participate as education assistants.
Requirements: Docents must be at least 18 years of age, attend the training, and be able to commit to two 3-hour shifts per month.
Outreach Volunteer: Join the Coastal Crew
Armed with information and educational materials, the Coastal Crew raises awareness of our coastal crisis by attending community events and festivals to help spread the word. Volunteers should be 18 years or older and willing to “table” at weekend or evening festivals. Training will be provided.
Tree Planting Volunteer: Join the Swamp Restoration Crew
Come out and plant trees to restore our swamps! Planting trees stabilizes land and reduces the risk of storm surge. Plantings are muddy, hard work but are also rewarding and fun. Coastal plantings typically happen between October and March. Email Eden Krolopp at eden@saveourlake.org to inquire about plantings or to sign up for notifications about upcoming plantings.
Volunteer Groups and Events:
Event Volunteer: Help at Lights on the Lake
Our annual holiday celebration is held at the New Canal Lighthouse in December. Come help us as we celebrate the holiday season and watch the beautiful lights of the West End Christmas Boat Parade.
Volunteer Events: Beach Sweep and Spring Sweep
Looking to clean up? PC’s Beach and Spring Sweeps are days designated to clean up the streets, curbs, ditches, and storm drains around Lake Pontchartrain, helping to keep our lake clean. With groups cleaning in New Orleans and Metairie, as well as groups cleaning in Mandeville, Covington, Baton Rouge, Madisonville, Abita Springs, Slidell, and more, we have many spots that can use your help! Beach Sweep is typically held on the third Saturday morning of September, and Spring Sweep is held on a Saturday morning in March or April. Click here to go to our Beach Sweep page, and click here to go to our Spring Sweep page for more information. These are also great opportunities to earn service hours!
Educational and Corporate Volunteer Groups at PC
Are you a school or youth group looking for a service learning opportunity? Cleaning the urban marsh at Bayou St. John is what you’re looking for! Click here for more information about our Bayou St. John Service Learning opportunities.
Are you a corporate group? We can work with groups, up to 50 people at a time, cleaning at our urban marsh. A typical volunteer cleaning event lasts about 3 hours, starting at 9 a.m. and heading back to the New Canal Lighthouse at 11:00 a.m. for a museum tour. Feel free to have lunch delivered and picnic on lighthouse grounds! Corporate groups typically donate $40-$60 per volunteer for project supplies and museum tour.
Smaller groups wanting to contribute to a large clean-up effort should register for our Beach Sweep and Spring Sweep trash cleanup events.
Please note that PC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
Current volunteers: Log your hours here.
Internships:
PC offers a limited number of unpaid internships each semester to qualified students. Internships with PC build positive relationships between colleges and universities and the Foundation while providing a valuable service to the community and contributing to the educational process.
The majority of programs will be short-term, just one or two semesters in length, and are available throughout the year. The number of positions available varies according to departmental needs. Internships are not available in all departments every semester.
Please note that PC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
Click here to inquire about an internship with the following programs: Accounting, Coastal Sustainability Program, Water Quality Program, Outreach Program, & Education Program.