A helpful volunteer makes the Mississippi River Challenge an even more enjoyable experience.
Volunteer Opportunities at the Mississippi River Challenge
Help with the challenge within the Challenge — keeping hundreds of paddlers and cyclists refreshed, inspired, and safe! Volunteers provide essential support all weekend long, over the entire route of the event — from Coon Rapids Dam to Grey Cloud Island.
In addition to the gratitude of paddlers and pedalers, volunteers receive a complimentary Challenge t-shirt, plus meals or snacks at their volunteer site(s). We encourage you to consider volunteering for two sites and making a day of it — giving your time helps us put more resources into helping the river. Plus, volunteers who contribute eight hours are invited to attend the festivities at Fort Snelling on the evening of July 26th compliments of FMR. (Those who volunteer for less than eight hours are welcome to sign up and pay the fee to attend the fort festivities. It’s a great deal!)
Heroic volunteers rush fresh lunches to hungry paddlers.
Mississippi River Challenge Volunteer Locations and Shifts
Specific times will be assigned to each task/site closer to the event.
Items marked with * indicate volunteer positions that involve handling cash. These positions require volunteers with previous experience volunteering with FMR.
Friday, July 25th
Coon Rapids Dam/Three Rivers Park — Evening: check in and registration. [FULL]
Saturday, July 26th
Coon Rapids Dam/Three Rivers Park — Early morning: Canoe and Kayak check in* & put-in [FULL]
Fort Snelling — Early morning: Cyclist check in* & start [FULL]
Grey Cloud Island & Fort Snelling — Early morning: Car drop off [FULL]
Islands of Peace Park — Mid-morning: Morning Rest Stop for paddlers [FULL]
Bassett Creek — Late morning/Mid-day: Lunch [FULL]
Fort Snelling — Early afternoon: Rest or final stop for cyclists [FULL]
Minneapolis Rowing Club — Mid-afternoon: Afternoon Rest Stop for paddlers [FULL]
Science Museum — Mid/Late afternoon: Rest stop for cyclists [FULL]
Fort Snelling — Late afternoon through the evening: First day take-out, evening festivities and overnight campsite (Camping optional for volunteers.) [FULL]
Sunday, July 27th
Fort Snelling — Early morning: Breakfast, second day put-in [FULL]
Harriet Island — Mid-morning: Morning Rest Stop for paddlers [FULL]
Pig's Eye peninsula — Mid-day: Lunch for paddlers (Accessible only by water, we provide a shuttle.) [FULL]
Lion's Levee Park — Mid to late afternoon: Afternoon Rest Stop for paddlers [FULL]
Grey Cloud Island — final stop of the event: Paddler take-out [FULL]
Volunteer Job Descriptions
First-Aid Assistant
Qualified health-care and medical professionals are sought at each stop along the route to provide first-aid assistance as needed. Sign up now! Please include a sentence or two about your background and availability in the “Comments” box.
General Event Assistant
“Event assistant” covers a wide range of tasks at each site, which are outlined below. You may sign up to be a General Event Assistant, or you may indicate a specific task by adding it to the comments box on the signup form. Specific tasks at each site include:
- Paddler Helper
- This multitask position is available at each stop along the canoe and kayak route, from put in to take out, for volunteers who enjoy being physically active. You will arrive at each stopping point in advance of the paddlers to clean up debris and trash (especially along the beaches to ensure safe landings) and ready the site. As paddlers come down the river, you will help them out of their canoes, work in teams to move boats and make room for additional arrivals, and help get boats back in the water when paddlers are ready to move on. When the last stragglers have paddled through, you will close down the site by cleaning up any trash and taking care of other site specific details. Requires some heavy lifting and a sense of humor. Approximate duration: 4 hours per site. Sign up now! Indicate “Paddler Helper” in “Comments.”
- Greeters
- You are the official cheerleaders for the Challenge! You will greet and motivate participants as they arrive, and point out restrooms and the location of refreshments. Requires enthusiasm, friendliness and the ability to point. Background information on the site and the points of interest downstream can be provided. Approximate Duration: 3 hours per site. Sign up now! Indicate “Greeter” in “Comments.”
- Refreshment Assistant
- At each stop along the route, Refreshment Assistants will offer food and drinks to the participants, and a few lucky assistants will be needed to scoop ice cream at Fort Snelling on Saturday night. You will also need to be available for set-up and break-down of the refreshment area at each site. Requires an ability to move fairly quickly and stay calm in the face of paddlers and pedalers needing immediate sustenance. Approximate duration: 4 hours per site. Sign up now! Indicate “Refreshment Assistant” in “Comments.”
- Traffic & Parking Director
- In this position, you will be directing traffic to facilitate drop-off flow and pointing out parking spots. You may also have to answer some basic logistical questions. Positions are available at Coon Rapids Dam on Friday evening and Saturday morning, at Grey Cloud Island and Fort Snelling on Saturday morning, and again at Grey Cloud Island on Sunday afternoon. Requires the ability to wave arms and point, encourage people to move efficiently, and wear a bright orange vest. Approximate duration: 2 1/2 hours per site. Sign up now! Indicate “Traffic and Parking Director” in “Comments.”
- Super Volunteer!
- This title is reserved for experienced volunteers who are willing to help the FMR staff manage other volunteers and delegate responsibilities to them. Requires having previous experience volunteering for the Mississippi River Challenge, the willingness to take on additional leadership roles, and working closely with the MRC Volunteer Coordinator, Sara Muchowski (and tolerating her bad jokes). Sign up now! Indicate “Super Volunteer” in “Comments.”
Registration Helper
This volunteer position is available at Coon Rapids Dam on Friday and Saturday, and also at Fort Snelling Saturday morning and evening. At Coon Rapids Dam, you will check participants in, distribute luggage tags, get forms signed, and handle general registration duties. At the Fort, you will check in morning cyclists or evening visitors to the event, hand out food and drink vouchers, and handle some cash transactions. You will also need to answer questions about the event but can refer people to the site managers if necessary. Requires a friendly smile as well as an ability to pay attention to details and stay organized. Previous experience volunteering with FMR also required. Approximate duration: 3 hours per site. Sign up now!
Opportunities after the event
An event like the Mississippi River Challenge requires a fair amount of post-event work. If you are available during weekday hours, please consider volunteering for post-event activities in the FMR Office — July 28th though August 1st:
- Assembling "Participant Survey" mailing
- Processing pledges
- Processing registrations and pledges involves entering participant and donor information into the FMR database. Computer and data entry experience is definitely helpful with this volunteer task, however training is provided. Because this position involves handling cash, previous volunteer experience with FMR is required.