Community - Jump on In

Volunteering is a fun way to help

Whether you have time to share or want to learn a new skill, volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and have fun at the same time. Volunteering doesn’t just benefit you — it also strengthens those around you.

At Dakota County, volunteers help expand our services to residents and makes our work more visible to the public. Since we started a countywide volunteer program in 2015, it has served thousands of residents and provided big cost savings to taxpayers.

We’ve partnered with more than 14,000 volunteers who have contributed more than 257,000 hours to support county services. They fill a range of needs — from public health clinic support to park trail patrol, environmental cleanup to homework assistance for youths. Their efforts are valued at more than $7 million. The program responds to the needs of our community and supports our mission of making Dakota County a great place to live and work. Each year, our volunteers find new ways to help the county as our needs expand and evolve. Our programs are educational, flexible to any schedule and will impact you and the community.

Getting it done

Dakota County volunteers have accomplished a lot since 2015:

84,543 – Native plants, trees, shrubs and plugs planted in county parks

15,029 – Pounds of garbage removed from riverbanks

21,274 – Plants grown locally through our Seedsters program

8,976 – Miles patrolled by our volunteer trail patrol teams

1,801 – Greeting cards created and sent during the holiday season for local veterans and military members serving overseas

75,865 – Meals packed and sent to hungry children worldwide

3,509 – Number of items fixed at Fix-it Clinics

16,279 – Pounds of items kept out of landfills because of Fix-it Clinics

1,572 – Number of students helped through the library’s Homework Helpers program

13,255 – Number of garbage bags filled through our Adopt-aHighway program

Explore your options at Volunteer & Internship Opportunities| Dakota County.