Volunteer Opportunities

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! Camp UniStar relies on our amazing volunteers to help prepare, organize, and run camp operations during the camp season and throughout the year. We welcome new suggestions of volunteering! We encourage you to email us with your questions and interests at info@campunistar.org.

 

Ongoing Opportunities

Camp UniStar is organized and stewarded in the off season by a dedicated group of volunteers across the Camp UniStar Foundation Board and Management Committee. Management Committee members meet monthly and serve on up to three subcommittees to help prepare for the season, including property plans and projects, personnel hiring, volunteer recruiting, marketing and communications, and more! We are always seeking more members and accept applications year round. Not sure if you’re ready for the commitment of a year round volunteer engagement? We love to welcome skilled volunteers for project based commitments as well! Reach out to mc@campunistar.org if you’re interested or if you have any questions about the Management Committee.

To apply to become a member of the Camp UniStar Management Committee, please click here.

Summer Volunteers

Although the camp staff and most volunteers are college-aged and 20-somethings, older volunteers are needed and highly valued by the camp community. You can learn all sorts of new skills, work together with the staff, and enjoy Camp UniStar from an entirely different perspective. Volunteers are put on the weekly staff schedule to assist staff members, for 20 hours per week, in all aspects of camp life: kitchen shifts, clean-up, supply runs on the pontoon boat, and special projects in the maintenance shed. If you have a valid Red Cross lifeguarding certificate, you may get a few shifts on the lifeguard chair!

In addition to providing a service to camp, you will receive a discount on your camp fees, and the undying gratitude of the staffies who do the heavy lifting all summer. Most importantly, you gain new expertise, hang out with some fun people, and experience the joy of working together for a really good cause. This is lifelong learning at its best!

Applications for summer 2024 available in March 2024, please click here.

Some of our summer volunteer positions
Below are the descriptions of some of our summer volunteer positions:

Cook / Baker Volunteer

Have you ever peered into the UniStar kitchen and wondered how you could take an active role in producing the food that feeds 100 hungry campers, spend time working with friendly UniStar staff, and learn new recipes at the same time? We are seeking volunteer cooks/bakers who can spend one week during the summer, Sunday through Friday, assisting in the kitchen. Basic requirements are proven cooking or baking talent, the ability to work with a young and diverse staff, flexibility, familiarity with food safety practices, and a commitment to providing an excellent eating experience for staff and campers. Volunteer positions are 20 hours per week with a camper fee of $375. If you have volunteered for several years, or are a former staff member you can volunteer for 30 hours per week with a camper fee of $275.

Maintenance Volunteer

Camp UniStar’s diverse maintenance requirements provide opportunities for a variety of skilled tradespeople and those not-so-experience-but-willing-to-learn individuals. Basic requirements are proven skills in the maintenance areas of plumbing, electrical, and carpentry. Other helpful talents would be in small engine repair, furniture, glass, screen, and fiberglass repair. A typical week of working maintenance will vary according to the immediate needs of the camp. Bigger projects to help improve camp may be incorporated depending on supplies and skills available. Volunteer positions are 20 hours per week with a camper fee of $375. If you have volunteered for several years, or are a former staff member, you can volunteer for 30 hours per week with a camper fee of $275.

Generalist Volunteer

A generalist volunteer serves camp in a wide variety of capacities during the week. This position is the best way for young aspiring staff members to get a taste of what it might be like to be a UniStar staffie in future years. Duties are delegated from the weekly staff schedule. Generalist volunteers will often work alongside camp staff to complete tasks including; dishwashing, close/clean food service, close/clean lodge, prep town run, meal prep and unprep, as well as a variety of general maintenance tasks. Volunteer positions are 20 hours per week with a camper fee of $375. If you have volunteered for several years, or are a former staff member, you can volunteer for 30 hours per week with a camper fee of $275.

Teen Volunteer

Teens, age 16 and 17, can apply to be a teen volunteer at Camp UniStar for 1 or 2 weeks. Teens will be able to collaborate and work alongside the staff in the UniStar kitchen, Children’s Program, Grounds, and Maintenance for 20 hours per week. The camper fee for 20 hours per week is $285. Teens are encouraged to sign up with a friend or individually. Maximum of four teen interns per week. Youth volunteers aged 16 or 17 years old must have an on-site parent, guardian, or adult sponsor.

UniCorps Volunteers

For years volunteers have played vital roles in the life of Camp UniStar. Most often we think of the many campers who dedicate themselves to the seven days at work week in early June of each year as they complete amazing tasks in a short time – preparing the grounds and buildings for the summer weeks ahead. Others assist in the kitchen or do repair projects during their camper week. And for more than 50 years a group of dedicated volunteers have served on the Management Committee where they discuss, make decisions, and implement policies, procedures, and projects to continually improve camp and camper experiences.

We would like to invite you to join this growing group of campers who make it happen each and every year. Become a member of UniCorps where we can use your multiple talents and/or help you develop those hidden skills. We want to expand the role of camp volunteers through your talents and expertise in the planning, preparation, and operation of the camp. And we want to suit your talents, interests, and availability with your enjoyment and love of Camp UniStar. Your life will be enriched in the process and the camp will benefit from your volunteering efforts.