Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

The Colorado Lottery funds Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) and their mission.
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to motivating and enabling people to become active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources. Founded in 1984, VOC is a nationally recognized leader in outdoor stewardship volunteerism, having helped more than 92,000 people of all ages get involved in and become inspired to care for Colorado’s outdoors

Why VOC?
Colorado’s outdoors are one of the things that make our state so great and why many of use choose to live here. But the parks, the forest land, the wilderness — these resources all need ongoing care and attention. Especially as our population continues to grow, demand for outdoor recreation is on the rise, and Colorado faces increasing threats of wildfires and drought. Every one of us can play a part in taking care of these treasured resources, and VOC helps provide opportunities to do so.

VOC’s Work
Volunteer Opportunities for Everyone
Central to VOC’s mission is our volunteer program, which engages thousands of volunteers of all ages, interests, and backgrounds each year. In 2012, VOC volunteers dedicated more than 46,000 hours of time giving back to Colorado — a value of over $1 million. Working in partnership with land managers and agencies across the state, VOC organizes and manages a wide array of outdoor stewardship volunteer opportunities each year, designed to engage a variety of audiences, while at the same time addressing critical stewardship needs across the state. Under VOC’s leadership, volunteers are able to make a rewarding impact on Colorado’s outdoors through hands-on work in wildfire land restoration, trail building and maintenance, tree planting and re-forestation, and much more.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Stewards
Youth are the outdoor stewards of tomorrow – and today. By helping young people connect with the outdoors and understand the importance of caring for our natural resources, we endeavor to instill in them a stewardship ethic that becomes a lifelong commitment. VOC offers a host of youth and family programs designed to inspire these young stewards, from family-friendly volunteer opportunities, to the award-winning Cairn high school program, to educational programs for youngsters ages 6-10.

Training Outdoor Stewardship Leaders
Skilled and effective leadership is critical both to delivering a rewarding volunteer experience, and to ensuring stewardship work is productive and sustainable. VOC has been the leading source of training programs that prepare people to be outdoor stewardship leaders since 1986. VOC’s Outdoor Stewardship Institute (OSI) trains hundreds of leaders every year, not only to lead VOC volunteers, but also for government agencies and stewardship organizations across the U.S.

Expanding Stewardship Capacity Throughout the State
VOC is leading numerous efforts to foster greater engagement of volunteers in outdoor stewardship throughout Colorado – from hosting the statewide Colorado Outdoor Stewardship Coalition, to conducting studies that measure volunteer impact and needs cross-agency, to building volunteer programs around the state in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM.