September VOLServe with Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum

About

The Jones Center for Leadership and Service sponsors monthly service opportunities provided in partnership with various community agencies, where transportation is provided, if requested. On these days, students have the chance to network and interact with students and community members while engaging in meaningful service and addressing community needs.

For the September 25th VOLServe, spend your morning serving with Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. Their mission is to grow gardens, honor history, and cultivate community. Their vision is to be an irreplaceable destination for belonging, natural discovery, and connection. Their guiding principles are stewardship, cultivation, horticultural excellence, preservation, and financial responsibility.

At the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum (KBGA), volunteers help bring the Garden to life. By sharing your time and talents, you support our mission to preserve this historic 44-acre landscape and grow a world-class botanical garden in the heart of Knoxville.

As a nonprofit that offers free access to the Garden every day of the year, KBGA relies on our Knoxville-area volunteers to help care for the grounds and welcome the community. Whether you’re an experienced gardener with time to give or simply curious to learn and able to volunteer a few hours each month, we’d love to have you join us.

On September 25th, we will be supporting the KGBA to build the footprint for their biggest event of the year, the Green Thumb Gala! They need a strong, efficient crew to haul, set up, and prep the event space ahead of gala weekend. You'll be doing the heavy lifting under and around our massive event tent to turn the grounds into a party-ready venue.

Duties:
- Unload and place round dinner tables across the event site
- Position bar and auction tables, and assemble cocktail tables under the big tent
- Set up chairs at all dinner tables
- Burlap-wrap and tie ribbons on decorative potted plants
- Help clear space and set the stage for the next setup crew

Physical Requirements: Carrying, unfolding, and positioning tables, chairs, and potted plants across grass and dirt. Outdoor terrain, rain or shine (mostly under tent cover).

Event Check-in Details:

Check In: Meet on site at 2743 Wimpole Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37914. One of our Jones Center Ambassadors will be there to check you in.
VOLServe Timeline:
- Check In: 8:45 am
- Service: 9 am - 11:40 am
- Debrief/Reflection: 11:40 am - 12 pm

Transportation: Taking JCLS transportation to the service site is not required for VOLServe events. However, If you would like to request transportation, please submit your request no later than 48 hours prior to the event: JCLS Service Event Transportation Request
- If you would like to explore public transportation, we recommend searching https://katbus.com/ to see if a bus will drop you near the service site.

Know Before You Go:

Volunteers are required to stay for the entire service time. Students who leave the event early will not have their service hours verified. If the community partner ends the event early, your hours will be verified for the full time.

Service events will happen rain or shine (unless canceled by the community partner). In the event of lightning or severe weather, you will be notified if the event is canceled.

Wear close-toed shoes for all service events. We recommend wearing clothing and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. (Leave the white sneakers at home!) You may be serving outside, so bring layers/dress accordingly.

Please bring a reusable water bottle to use during service. It’s important to stay hydrated during service events, and water will not be provided.

Respect your surroundings, the supplies provided to you, and the purpose of the service. Stay engaged for the full duration of the event.

Be prepared to be flexible! Service activities may change. As volunteers, we will work to meet the needs laid out by the community partner.

Service Hours:

Your service hours will be automatically added to ServeUTK once you have attended the event. You should not add the impact yourself for any event if you registered through ServeUTK.

You will receive an email to add your reflection details to verify your hours.

Cancellations:

By registering for this event, you are making a commitment to attend. Community partners are expecting the number of volunteers identified in the event.

If you are unable to attend, your registration must be canceled in ServeUTK at least 48 hours in advance. Click here for instructions for updating or canceling your registration.

For more information, please see our cancellation/no-show hold policy.

While this event is offered free of charge, failure to attend a VOLServe without canceling online will result in a $10 hold on your student account to account for expenses incurred in your absence. Signups cannot be canceled within 48 hours of the event. If you requested transportation and fail to attend without canceling, an additional $10 will be added to your student account for expenses incurred in your absence.

If you have any questions, please contact The Jones Center for Leadership & Service at leadserve@utk.edu. We look forward to serving with you!

Requirements

Site Setup: Green Thumb Gala

Help us build the footprint for our biggest event of the year! We need a strong, efficient crew to haul, set up, and prep the event space ahead of gala weekend. You'll be doing the heavy lifting under and around our event tent to turn the grounds into a party-ready venue.
Duties:

Unload and place round dinner tables across the event site
Position bar and auction tables, and assemble cocktail tables under the big tent
Set up chairs at all dinner tables
Burlap-wrap and tie ribbons on decorative potted plants
Help clear space and set the stage for the next setup crew

Physical Requirements: Carrying, unfolding, and positioning heavy tables, chairs, and potted plants across grass and dirt for the 3-hour shift. Outdoor terrain, rain or shine (mostly under tent cover).