Explore volunteer opportunities

Browse opportunities to volunteer on campus.

Harn Museum of Art – Data Collector

Description: The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is a worldclass fine arts museum that houses work by artists such as Monet, O’Keefe, Rodin, Wiley, Kusama, and many others. As part of our 2020 – 2025 Strategic Plan, we are gathering data from visitors with the goal of improving our visitor experience museum wide.  We are looking for energetic volunteers to conduct an exit survey aimed at collecting visitor data. Hours and workload are flexible, depending on the volunteer’s schedule and interests. Volunteers will be expected to disburse the survey on an iPad and collect observational data throughout their shift. Students interested in museum management, demography, customer relations, PR/Marketing, data analytics, and/or education are encouraged to apply. Candidates with diverse backgrounds are also encouraged to apply.

Details:  Volunteer shifts and workload are flexible and there is no minimum commitment. Shifts will be fulfilled onsite at the Harn Museum of Art. Daytime, evening, and weekend shifts are available. Training will be provided upon acceptance of a volunteer position.

Website:  Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida (ufl.edu)

Contact:  Salina Cardias, Director of Visitor Engagement

                scardias@harn.ufl.edu

                352-294-7065

Solace 

Description:  Solace is a student-run organization that is dedicated to providing care and companionship to geriatric patients undergoing treatment at UF Health Shands Hospital. Staying awake and engaged during the day is an integral part of the geriatric healing process by improving their mood, regulating their sleep schedule, and constructing a positive mindset towards their recovery. Solace volunteers focus on providing direct patient interaction through arts and crafts, playing games, reading, or simply sharing precious time. Members also participate in outside events such as meetings and fundraisers to support our unit.  

Details:  Three-month commitment to a three-hour volunteer shift each week. (Additional requirements to maintain organization membership.)

Website:  https://www.ufsolace.org/volunteering

Contact:  uf.solace@gmail.com    

UF Department of Neurology - Emergency Care Research 

Description:  An emergency care research study of bleeding in the brain. University of Florida is conducting a research study to study bleeding in the brain, also called intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Most of this bleeding occurs within a few hours of onset of symptoms. The brain injury from ICH is usually very severe, and there is currently no treatment for ICH that is proven to improve outcome. The research study is testing if a medication can slow bleeding. Some patients may be enrolled before consent if unconscious or a family member or representative is not rapidly available. Before the research study starts, we will consult with the community. We welcome your feedback and questions. For more information, or to decline participation in this research study, please visit http://nihstrokenet.org/fastest/community-resources or contact our study staff below:

Details:  Volunteers from our community are needed to provide feedback if they are in favor or against such research being conducted in our community. Please complete a 5-10 minute survey OR as an alternative option, contact us if you prefer to partake in a 60-90 minute Focus Group to have your opinion about the study heard. please visit http://nihstrokenet.org/fastest/community-resources or contact our study staff below.

Contact:  FASTEST@neurology.ufl.edu  Website

Phone: 352-294-5693
Primary Investigator: Anna Khanna, MD
Study Coordinator: Ralisa Pop, RN

UF College of Dentistry 

Description:  Individuals interested in the field of dentistry can benefit from volunteering in one of the many dental clinics in the UF College of Dentistry. The student dental clinics offer volunteers the opportunity to work alongside current dental students, dental assistants, dental faculty and other dental specialists. The graduate dental clinics offer volunteers an intimate look at various specialties within the field of dentistry. Volunteers may encounter residents, specialists and faculty. All dental volunteers will take additional online bloodborne pathogens, HIPAA and confidentiality trainings and are required to show proof of the full Hepatitis B vaccine series.  

Details:  Three-month commitment, three-hour shift each week

Contact:  https://ufhealth.org/dental-volunteers  

UF English Language Institute (ELI) Conversation Partner Program

Description:  English Language Institute (ELI) students come here from all over the world for the purpose of being immersed in the study of English. Besides academic courses in English, we offer many activities outside of the classroom setting to provide our students with cultural experiences that also help them with their English skills. The Conversation Partner Program provides ELI students with a great opportunity to practice English one-on-one and learn more about U.S. culture. This program is designed to help ELI students practice English in a friendly setting while meeting people from another culture and making friends. 

Details:  The main requirement of Conversation Partners is that they meet for a minimum of one hour each week with their partner. This meeting can happen at a time and place of their mutual choosing, so it is very flexible based on volunteers' and ELI students'schedules. During that time, volunteers will simply speak with their partner in English, allowing them to practice what they are learning outside of the classroom. There are also optional activities every weeknight, such as the Monday Mixer at the Reitz Union Game Room, where students and Conversation Partners can meet and speak informally. 

 Volunteering as a Conversation Partner is a one semester commitment. The program is in need of volunteers throughout the year, during Fall, Spring, and Summer. Each semester, there is an option to participate in the C term, lasting the entirety of the semester, or the B term, during the second half of the semester. 

Conversation Partners and ELI students choose a time and place to meet that is mutually convenient, whether that be on campus or around Gainesville. 

Contact:  
conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu

UF Health Shands Hospital

Description:  Volunteers assist in a variety of healthcare environments, including: Clinics, Labs, Nursing Units, Pharmacy, Radiology, and Rehabilitation (Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy). As volunteers are helping with tasks to improve the patient experience, they have the opportunity to interact with a variety of staff members and learn more about careers in healthcare. More information about specific opportunities in each of these areas can be found in the Opportunity Directory section of the website. (Please note the address for each opportunity as some volunteer opportunities are located off-campus.).

Details:  Three-month commitment, three-hour shift each week

Contact:  https://ufhealth.org/college-student-volunteers   

UF Health Shands Children's Hospital Child Life Program 

Description:  Volunteers work in individual inpatient units throughout the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, assisting with supervision and maintenance of play or wait areas, maintaining a safe and orderly environment and assisting with clerical duties as needed. Volunteers also assist in providing child-centered activities for patients and families.

Details:  Three-month commitment, three-hour shift each week

Contact:  https://ufhealth.org/child-life-program/volunteering  
 

UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine 

Description:  Volunteers assist an artist in residence, dancer or yoga practitioner in facilitating arts and crafts activities in different specialized areas with patients, families and staff.

Details:  Three-month commitment, three-hour shift each week

Contact:  https://artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org/volunteer/  

UF Health Shands Children's Hospital "Footprints"

Description:  Footprints is a student-run volunteering and community service organization benefiting UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and the local Gainesville community. Volunteers help out in the Pediatric Immunocompromised and infusion units by engaging kids in one-on-one play to help “kids just be kids” during treatments. Members also participate in community outreach events and organizational meetings and socials throughout the semester.

Details:  Three-month volunteer commitment with a three-hour shift each week. Additional requirements to maintain organization membership.

Contact:  https://www.footprintsvolunteering.org/    

UF Health Shands Children's Hospital "Streetlight"

Description:  Volunteers who work with this program focus on the psychosocial/spiritual needs of adolescents with life-limiting illnesses and their families by providing peer companionship. Volunteers visit with assigned adolescents and young adults offering companionship, diversion and conversation. Knowledge of pop culture is helpful and volunteers should have a friendly, outgoing personality and strong desire to work with adolescents. Volunteers may be exposed to adolescents with critical conditions and end-of-life situations, so self-awareness and emotional maturity is strongly recommended. In addition to weekly shifts, volunteers need to be available for an additional 2-4 hour orientation with the Streetlight director and attend Monthly Rounds of the Streetlight Team offered on Sunday and Mondays. Pre-med students are encouraged to apply.

Details:  Two-year commitment, three-hour shift each week

Contact:  Emily Marchi, Volunteer Coordinator  

UF HealthStreet

Description:  HealthStreet is a community engagement program at the University of Florida with a mission is to reduce disparities in healthcare and research. HealthStreet’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) assess health concerns, conditions and research perceptions of community members. CHWs provide referrals to community members for medical and social services, as well as opportunities to participate in health research, relevant to their health concerns and health conditions.  

Details:  C.A.M.E.O. is HealthStreet’s multi-disciplinary volunteer program that provides an opportunity for collaboration and participation in innovative community engagement practices among our volunteers. C.A.M.E.O. has 5 core initiatives that support the HealthStreet mission of reducing disparities in health care and health research.  They are Communication Strategies, Analysis of Data, Community-Engaged Program Management, Community Health Education and Outreach.  Positions in C.A.M.E.O are accepted as space permits.  We require at least 10 hours per week time commitment. If you are a student, priority will be given to those who commit to two semesters.  See our website for more information:  http://healthstreet.program.ufl.edu/healthstreet-intiatives/volunteer-and-internship-opportunities/.

We are accepting C.A.M.E.O. student volunteers and interns to assist with:

(C) Communication Strategies

  • Health Event Planning
  • Our Community, Our Health
  • Marketing
  • Public Relations
  • Website and Social Media

(A) Analysis of Data

  • Data Entry
  • Data Management
  • Quality Control
  • Statistical Analyses
  • Survey Design

 

(M) Community-Engaged Program Management

 

(E) Community Health Education 

  • Health Education and Screenings
  • Preparation of Outreach Materials
  • Grant / LOI Preparation

(O) Outreach 

  • Health Needs Assessment Certification
  • Recruitment, Retention and Navigation
  • Membership Follow-up Calls

Contact: Brianna Aldridge, Volunteer Coordinator baldridge@ufl.edu

Eldercare of Alachua County

Description:  If you would like to interact and provide assistance for the elderly, a variety of flexible volunteer opportunities are available. Volunteers make a positive difference in the lives of many seniors and are a significant part of the programs and services that ElderCare of Alachua County offers. ElderCare welcomes volunteers of all ages, both individual and as groups volunteering together. Whether you can provide one hour or 100 hours per year, your contribution of time and service is important to the seniors we serve at ElderCare. ElderCare is operated by UF Health Shands and is a 100-percent grant- and donation-funded agency. For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit http://eldercare.ufhealth.org/volunteer/.

Contact:  Nicholas Hauzer, Manager of Volunteer Services, nhau0001@shands.ufl.edu

UF Health Shands Children's Hospital “Dream Team” Program

Description:  Dream Team is a student run, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to brightening the lives of the children in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. Dream Team Volunteering provides long-term pediatric patients with positive memories through fun games, activities, and companionship.

Details:  Opportunities for weekly volunteering (3-hours per week for a whole semester) and for assisting with special events. Additional requirements for maintaining organization membership.

Contact:  https://www.ufdreamteam.org/dream-team-volunteering

UF Movement Disorders - Neurology 

Description:  In Movement Disorders Neurology, we have volunteer positions available for pre-health undergrads with a desire to be involved in research/clinical experience. Previous and current volunteers have learned a great deal about movement disorders and their treatment while working with us. Volunteers will assist with our clinical research database by making clinical research packets, editing videos of patients seen in clinic and performing other tasks to help the database and our clinic. These include various data cleaning tasks and various organizational tasks.  Volunteers are able to attend the weekly Movement Disorders and Grand Rounds conferences where patient cases and research are discussed. When shadowing resumes, volunteers will be able to shadow in our clinic twice per month. 

 

Details:  Students will need to be able to devote a minimum of 8 hours per week to this program for 9-12 months

Contact:  https://movementdisorders.ufhealth.org/contact-us/contact-us-pre-health-volunteering/

UF Performing Arts

Description:  The University of Florida Performing Arts cultivates and presents meaningful and impactful events within its facilities. These events are driven by a desire to provide the students, residents, and visitors to North Central Florida with world-class presentations that spark artistic interest, evoke important conversations, and allow people to celebrate what Gainesville and UF have to offer. 

Details:  Volunteers will be tasked with one of two tasks for the shift: either greeting patrons as they enter our facilities or assisting in seating patrons and wayfinding as they enter the performance space. SOME volunteer roles may include walking up and down two flights of stairs (the facility does have an elevator), standing for approximately two hours, or lifting up to 20 pounds. Accommodations will be made for any interested volunteers that may be unable to perform the above tasks. Any given event may call for between 8 and 24 volunteers.

Website:  https://performingarts.ufl.edu/giving/volunteer/

Contact:  Ryan Brown - Patron Services Coordinator, ryan.brown@performingarts.ufl.edu, (352) 273-2458

Wilmot Botanical Gardens

Description:  Wilmot Botanical Gardens is located in the heart of the Southeast’s largest academic health center on the University of Florida campus, providing a peaceful and verdant respite for patients, faculty, staff, and the public. In addition, the gardens are dedicated to advancing patient care, research and service through its vibrant and growing therapeutic horticulture program.

Details:  Volunteers of all skill levels will be engaged in restoring and maintaining the gardens, which provide an important natural green space for patients and caregivers served by UF Health Shands Hospital, as well as the rest of the university community and beyond. Tasks vary by event type, but typical activities include weeding, pruning, planting, mulching, and general grounds maintenance. A typical volunteer shift is one to two days a week for a 2-hour block per day.

Contact:  https://wilmotgardens.med.ufl.edu/interested-in-volunteering/
or email:  wilmotinfo@ad.ufl.edu.