Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, engage in social interaction with people who share your passion for the arts, and support our outstanding young performers. GOLD operates on huge network of support from volunteer forces year-round. As much as we’d like to, we can’t afford to pay people for all the work that needs to be done to keep our operation functioning. WE NEED YOU! We welcome alumni, parents of current and former members, and friends of GOLD. There are many ways you can contribute to our efforts. Read on to learn about available positions and find the job that best fits you.
Grab your sleeping bag and LET’S GO!!!
Benefits include:
- Luxurious Accommodations
- 5–Star Cuisine
- Interaction with our outstanding members, staff and army of volunteers
- A behind-the-scenes look at our summer program
- The satisfaction of supporting an amazing youth arts organization!
Interested in volunteering? Contact joe.paul@goldyoutharts.org
Volunteer positions may be either single day, multiple-day/overnight and tour. Any volunteer spending more than 24 hours with the corps will be required to submit to our safety protocols, including a background check, signing a volunteer contract and SafeSport training.
Single-Day opportunities include food service, medical, sewing/uniforms and driving. These options are mostly available during the winter & spring at our weekend camps. Camps run all day on both Saturday and Sunday. Locations vary, but are usually centered around the Corona area.
Multiple Day opportunities (food service, medical & driving) begin with our Memorial Day overnight camp, and continue, periodically throughout the summer. These overnight stays may run 3–10 days with locations throughout southern and central California. Volunteers will need to provide their own transportation to and from the corps’ location.
Tour departs from a Southern California airport on July 24, taking us to the east coast and continues throughout the northeast, ending in Indianapolis for the DCI World Championships on August 10. Volunteers would need to commit to traveling with the corps for the entire duration. Your flight out on 7/24, along with travel, food and accommodations while on tour are provided for by GOLD. Your flight back home would be at your own expense. (We’ll get you to the airport on the morning of August 11.)
Check the calendar on our website to see what dates fit your schedule.
http://www.goldyoutharts.org/drumcorps/2024-season/calendar/
Volunteer Opportunities
Food Service: Food Crew volunteers provide meals to the members, staff, and volunteer crew. Cooking is done out of a fully-equipped mobile kitchen trailer. Duties include food trailer setup and packing, food preparation, meal serving, cleanup, setup & breakdown of trailer. In a typical day, 3 to 4 meals are served to as many as 200 people. Food Service positions include BOTH individuals with no prior experience as well as those with previous cooking, grilling or serving experience.
Medical: Medical volunteers provide on-site early medical assessment of injuries/illnesses and first aid care. They consult with doctors and/or emergency medical personnel as needed and help coordinate transportation to a local hospital or urgent care clinic as the need arises. Medical volunteers can be doctors, nurses, EMTs or Paramedics. If you have other specialized medical qualifications such as psychology, dentistry and would like to be added to our medical directory please contact us.
Sewing/Uniforms Volunteers help with uniform measurements, fittings and alterations during pre-season rehearsals.
Drivers – (CDL Class A & non-commercial) Volunteer CDL drivers help transport the Equipment and Food trailer to and from the camp/event locations. On tour, we travel with a fleet of 4 buses, 2 semi tractor-trailers, a box truck and 2 support vehicles (van or SUV) Experience with night driving is helpful.
Equipment Maintenance Volunteers help with minor repairs and maintenance of props and equipment. There’s always something that needs fixing, or painting, or …
Questions? Contact joe.paul@goldyoutharts.org
General Questions/Answers About Volunteering on Tour
- Sleeping - Volunteers do much of their sleeping while on the road. (Our longest trips are done overnight.) Once we arrive at a school, volunteers will have separate sleeping areas from members where you can get a few hours of precious floor time.
- Showering - Volunteers use the showers/locker rooms at the housing site. There is ample time for volunteers to shower while the corps is practicing. (Adults must shower separately from the members.) Food crew schedules can be a little tricky. Talk to your team about the best time to shower.
- Shows - The volunteers receive passes into all shows. Please return these to the designated person after each show.
- Food - Volunteers eat the same delicious food truck cuisine as the members and staff. We ask that volunteers wait until the members go through the line to eat to make sure they all get fed. In the rare instance that we run short of food, we can always find some leftovers or make other arrangements for volunteers. We won’t let you go hungry.
- Laundry - You will have an opportunity to visit a laundromat while on tour.
- Patience & Flexibility - If you’ve never been on tour before, it can seem a little crazy. Don’t worry, that’s how it always is. Moving an army of a couple hundred people and 9 vehicles across the country is complicated. Get to know the tour administrators. Ask questions. Follow the crowd. It’s a great experience if you keep an open mind and embrace the journey.
What to pack for Tour?
Generally, pack enough clothes for 10 days. There will be a scheduled laundry day about half way through the national tour. A rolling duffel or medium suitcase and a carry on is typical and allows for everyone to fit their stuff in the van or other area provided for luggage. (Remember that you’ll need to move/carry your luggage often. The less you can get away with the better.)
A recommended packing list is provided in our member handbook, and will be distributed to all volunteers.