Volunteer to build community outdoors

Archived Outdoors

Volunteer to build community outdoors

Volunteers wrap up a pre-pandemic gardening project at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. NPS photo

Outdoor Mission Community, formerly known as Outdoor Mission Camp, is seeking volunteers to aid in trip planning, leadership, skills certifications and more, with a pair of training trips now on the calendar.

Saturday, Nov. 7, OMC will take a contingency of volunteers to the Fontana Lakeshore Cleanup, which aims to pick up 100,000 pounds of trash. Boats, bags, gloves and trash dumpsters are provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority and Fontana Dam Marina, with OMC providing lunch.

Saturday, Jan. 9, volunteers will have the chance to participate in a 16-hour Wilderness First Aid class offered through the Nantahala Outdoor Center and SOLO Wilderness Medicine. The class includes eight hours of online work and eight hours of in-person teaching with lots of scenarios and hands-on learning. The class will be available to OMC partner organizations as well as OMC volunteers.

This year, OMC is building structures, recruiting volunteers, collecting equipment and lining up courses with the goal of having equipment cleaned and catalogued, ready to be rented by the springtime. Individuals and groups wishing to venture into the backcountry can contact OMC for help with trip planning, leadership, equipment to borrow, classes or certification in certain skills. A host of volunteers are available to help you get outside.