Volunteer Opportunities

Green Kirkland Partnership engages the community to restore natural areas in City of Kirkland parks.

Visit the Green Kirkland website to see a calendar of upcoming stewardship events and to register to volunteer for fun, hands-on outdoor service in your local park!

Registration and waiver requirements are located on the Green Kirkland website. Visit the ‘What to Expect’ page for more information for youth volunteers, volunteering as a group and ongoing opportunities with Green Kirkland.

Program Information: www.greenkirkland.org

Green Kirkland events are considered 'one-time' volunteer opportunities and can only verify court mandated service for Teen Traffic Court and cannot accept other forms of court mandated service.

Park maintenance projects engage volunteers to weed, mulch and remove invasive plants from landscaped areas in City parks, natural areas and nearby City buildings. 

These one-time group projects are great for small- to medium-sized groups. Occasionally, there is a need for monthly individual or group volunteers in certain park locations.

Note: Adult court-mandated community service: Parks Maintenance Assistant is the ONLY volunteer activity approved for adult court-ordered service, minimum 30 hours required with a completion deadline no sooner than 30 days from today. All ongoing volunteer requirements apply. Plus, background check results are reviewed by the Parks Director for court-mandated service.

Volunteers adopt a Kirkland park location and assist staff to keep pet waste disposal bag stations restocked and report to staff any problem areas within the park. Volunteers do not handle or dispose of pet waste. 

Averages eight hours per month. Multiple park locations within Kirkland.

The City is currently evaluating this program and will post updated information as soon as possible. Currently, no additional adoptees are needed. In addition to regular City staff maintenance of the CKC Interim Trail, volunteers have adopted quarter-mile sections, pledging to remove litter twice a year with the option of doing a yearly invasive plants removal event within their section. 

Adopters include Kirkland neighborhood associations, businesses, individuals, families and community service groups.  Check out the Adopt-a-Trail Map(PDF, 1MB) and review the Adoption FAQ(PDF, 393KB) .

During 2021, the City is facilitating a total of 6 Eagle projects due to limited staff capacity. Requests are treated on a first-come, first-served basis. Eagle Scout projects are unique opportunities to make a lasting impression within the City. A limited number of projects are accepted at any one time.

Contact Jodie Galvan to find out what is available and/or to be placed on the waitlist. 

This assignment qualifies as 'one-time' and only requires a completed One-time Event Volunteer Service Agreement(PDF, 185KB). Storm drain marking volunteers (individual or small group) assist the City in marking any remaining unmarked street storm drains. We provide you prefabricated "Only Rain Down the Drain" rubber decals and an assigned area. At your convenience and during dry conditions, you affix the decals to the adjacent sidewalk.

Great for individuals, teen-parent teams and families. This assignment is weather-dependent but highly flexible.

For more information, please review the (PDF, 100KB)Storm Drain Marking Volunteer Position Description(DOCX, 38KB)

The Public Works Department is not actively seeking volunteers to assist with assessment and monitoring of local stream and wetland systems. Please check back again soon! 

The Park Beautification Program provides opportunities for individuals, families, and groups to volunteer in their favorite parks throughout the year weeding flower beds, planting perennial flowers, cleaning educational signage, raking beaches, picking up litter, and finding ways to team up with Parks Management staff to make Kirkland’s parks even more beautiful, welcoming, inclusive, and fun. These are one-time projects ranging from 2-3 hours each. No experience is needed and all tools and training will be provided.

Learn more about the Parks Beautification Program here. 

Help keep Kirkland’s parks beautiful by volunteering for the Parks Beautification Program. 

Join this new Community Court & Resource Center team of volunteers, which assists Kirkland Municipal Court staff. Community Court is a problem-solving court designed to connect qualifying defendants (certain misdemeanor cases) with resources and services to successfully complete their court requirements. When defendants fulfill their court requirements, then charges are dismissed. Community Court is organized into two ‘rooms’--Court Room and Community Resource Center--was launched online and these volunteer assignments are currently 100% virtual.

There are four volunteer roles: Note-taker, Court Room Navigator, Resource Center Navigator and Resource Center Moderator.

For more information on each role, please read the position descriptions below:

Community Court and Resource Center Navigator volunteer position description(PDF, 116KB)s

Community Court Note Taker and Resource Center Moderator volunteer position descriptions(PDF, 116KB)

Pedestrian Flagged Crosswalk volunteers adopt a flagged crosswalk by ensuring there are orange “pedflags” always available at their assigned crosswalk(s). These flags assist pedestrians in alerting drivers to their presence when crossing the street.

There may be an "orphaned" crossing in your neighborhood or along your favorite walking route in need of adoption. Average commitment is less than one hour per week.

Contact David Gourlie

Note: this is not a crossing guard opportunity--please contact the Lake Washington School District for potential options.

There are a handful of planted traffic circles located at specific Kirkland residential intersections. Traffic Circle volunteers commit monthly to weed, maintain line-of-sight and remove litter. Optionally, you may plant approved small plants and flowers for beautification.

Average commitment is four hours per month March to October; two hours per month November to February.

Contact David Gourlie

Volunteers of the Adopt-a-Road Program commit to roadside litter pick-up on a specified section of road. Supplies and recognition signs provided. Minimum of two year commitment required, one hour 4-6 times a year depending on road as needed. Must be at least 15 years of age. See map (pdf) for available sections.

Contact: Kari Waller

Adopt-a-Road map(PDF, 960KB)

CERT members are prepared to help respond in their community during an emergency. Volunteers can continue to support the CERT program after completing the CERT training by assisting with class delivery, supporting neighborhood CERT teams, and doing outreach within the community.

Contact Kirkland Emergency Management 

KECT ham radio operators provide communications support to the City during emergencies and work with the Office of Emergency Management. Those interested in joining are invited to attend a KECT meeting (currently held virtually).

Contact Kirkland Emergency Management

For more information, please review the KECT volunteer position description.(PDF, 115KB)

The Explorers program is currently on hold.  Kirkland Police Youth Explorers are youth volunteers ages 14 to 21 years who receive specialized law enforcement training and experience to perform traffic control, special events and other duties.

Minimum one year commitment. Explorers are expected to attend a monthly evening meeting (current conducted remotely). Average time commitment of four hours per month.

DART is a partnership between local law enforcement and the community to address and prevent domestic violence. DART volunteers provide crisis intervention and support to victims of domestic violence following police involvement, as well as assist victims during the court process.

Please note DART recruits and trains volunteers once per year, typically in the Summer/Fall.

For more information, review the DART volunteer position description here(PDF, 276KB).

The City is not currently onboarding additional volunteers for this assignment. Speed Watch volunteers support the Kirkland Police Department by monitoring vehicular speeds using handheld radar units in documented neighborhood problem areas.

Flexible scheduling, two to four hours per month. 

Initially, this volunteer will accompany a Code Enforcement Officer staffer in the field to remove non-compliant temporary signs, known as A-board signs, and notify property and business owners of code violations. 

Average commitment is one weekend shift every month, with a total time spent not to exceed 8 hours. Specific training provided. For more details about the volunteer position, please read the position description here(PDF, 179KB). 

This team of volunteers plus one staff is essential to City Hall’s customer service initiative. Information Desk assistants greet customers in person and by phone and refer them to appropriate staff for answers, resources and detailed assistance. The learning curve is steep in this challenging volunteer assignment, so we start with an initial try-it-on shadowing experience, followed by 3 one-hour training sessions.

This assignment is a great way to learn about local government! The time commitment is one shift per week, two hours minimum. As a popular assignment, openings are infrequent but we can place your name on a wait list.

Several City departments engage a limited number of volunteers to assist with basic office duties including mailings, copying, filing, word processing and data entry.

Office volunteers generally have a once-a-week assignment averaging three hours. As a popular assignment, openings are infrequent but we can place your name on a wait list. 

The City is currently recruiting for this assignment and typically reserves two regular volunteers and one on-call. Periodically, there are openings for additional volunteer photographers and videographers, which may include editing and post-production.

Unpaid volunteer internships are occasionally available in certain departments. Available only to currently-enrolled students with an internship school learning requirement.

Volunteer your time as a team coach or assistant coach with one or more of these youth sports:

• Pee Wee Soccer (April to May; September to October)
• Pee Wee Basketball (January to February; November to December)
• Youth Basketball (December to March)
• Pee Wee Multi-Sport (March). 

For Pee Wee (ages 3-6) coaching, please contact Adam Quaintance.  For Youth (3rd-6th grades) coaching, contact Loni Rotter.  

The Senior Lunch program is a partnership with Catholic Community Services and takes place every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (not Thursdays) and Friday at the Peter Kirk Community Center. This volunteer assignment runs 10:30 am to 1:15 pm and requires a Washington state food handler’s permit.  A team of three or four volunteers assists a contracted cook with dining room set-up, food preparation, food service and clean-up. This is also a popular assignment, which may necessitate a wait list.

Summer only. For ages 12 to 15 years. See AquaLeaders under “Opportunities for Teens."

Volunteers assist Parks staff to set-up before each outdoor community market, during the event and/or with event take-down afterward.

This year's Juanita Friday Market volunteering took place Friday afternoons at Juanita Beach Park from June 7 through September 27.  Volunteer shift options are:

• 11:00 to 2:30 pm Set-up
• 3:00 to 6:30 pm Information Booth and Kids' Booth
• 7:00 to 8:00 pm Tear-down

Some negotiation possible within shifts.

Contact Staff at juanitafridaymarket@kirklandwa.gov regarding Summer 2024 volunteer opportunities. 

Please see Green Kirkland Partnership under “Environmental Stewardship”.

All Green Kirkland Partnership outdoor habitat restoration volunteer projects have been approved for satisfying Teen Traffic Court requirements. Please consult Green Kirkland’s list of upcoming volunteer events and register in advance. The teen is responsible for documenting their volunteer time and getting requisite signatures. 

For adult court-ordered service, see Volunteer Opportunities main page.

Available only to youth ages 12 to 15 years. Summer only at the Peter Kirk Pool (located downtown). Learn alongside City aquatic staff and gain lifeguarding and swim instruction experience.

This volunteer assignment is typically July through September.

Please see details under “Public Safety”.

The City reserves one volunteer spot in Multimedia specifically for a local teen. This teen volunteer spot is current occupied.

This is a great opportunity to learn about videography, editing and production. This teen must make a one-year commitment of 8 to 10 hours per month.

The Kirkland Youth Council is a group of about 40 teens representing all Middle and High Schools in Kirkland. In addition, we also have members who attend private schools and who are home schooled. Each member of the Youth Council has the responsibility of representing their school, social and cultural group, the City, as well as the youth of Kirkland to the City Council and other local government groups.

Each year, Kirkland Youth Council applications are due the last Friday of September.

Contact Regula Schubiger

For additional local volunteer opportunities specifically for teens, please review the Where to Care(PDF, 678KB) resource booklet, assembled by the Kirkland Youth Council.