How do I volunteer?

Volunteers are an integral part of all trails organizations and will be needed to assist Armstrong Trails with trail projects, fundraising, events, and maintenance. There continues to be many ways to volunteer including helping with work days & serving on committees. Simply use the Contact Us form or contact anyone involved with Armstrong Trails to volunteer.

EVERY DAY IS A WORKDAY-While we do try and schedule organized workdays, you really don’t need to wait. Have some time and want to spend the day with us on a really awesome project…contact us a day or two prior and I can let you know where we are working. Many hands make light work. Use the Contact Us form or call 724-822-7176.

Volunteers are the common thread in the success of these projects (and there is a lot, we had a very busy year and another to come). We all should be thankful to the volunteers who selfishly gave of their time to help with these projects. They should be proud…their time will benefit many now and for decades to come. Volunteers truly make a difference. I just read an article today, the value attached to each hour a volunteer helps is $31.80. For every hour a volunteer helps we earn $31.80 in volunteer time match. An 8-hour day with 10 volunteers equates to just over $3,180. And if the same 10 people volunteer one day a month for a year gives us over $31,800 in matching funds. As I said, volunteers are a valuable asset for maintaining and moving trail systems forward.

An example of funding for specific projects…grants are great but it is not all free money. Most grants require matching funds. Some grant matches are all cash, some are time and cash.

I will use an easy example: say we would like to rehabilitate a bridge, total cost for the rehab is $100,000. Of that $100,000, $50,000 needs to be match funds and in scenario 1- let’s say it is all cash…so we need to raise $50,000 either through a Friends of campaign or a fundraiser. In scenario 2-it is $25,000 cash and $25,000 worth of volunteer services, in-kind professional services and/or in-kind donations. Nonetheless, you at the very least still need $25,000 in cash. AND all of your cash needs to be secured…like the money is in the bank…secured. At first $25,000 of volunteer services sounds extraordinary. It really isn’t. For example, if 25 people volunteer 40 hours of their time to the project at the rate of $31.80, the volunteer service match is satisfied.

A Friends of campaign is active right now, donations are tax deductible and may be sent to Armstrong Trails, PO Box 777, Kittanning, PA 16201 or via Paypal on our website. Click the button below to download the form.