Current Volunteer Team Members – please click here to sign in to your account.
Without our volunteers, Greenhill could not provide its current high level of service to the animals and people of our community!
All of our volunteer team members share three things:
1) Compassion and responsibility for all animals
2) Consistency and reliability to help us care for our animals
3) Commitment to reducing animal overpopulation
The following requirements are mandatory for all Greenhill volunteers:
*Be 16 years of age or over. (Volunteers between the ages of 12-15 can volunteer only if accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.)
*Commit to volunteering for one 2-hour shift per week or at least 8 hours a month for a minimum of 6 months.
*Possess strong customer service skills. Be able to read, write and communicate clearly with staff, other volunteers and the public and follow direction, shelter rules and protocol info.
*Be able to sit, bend, squat, twist and stand for long periods. (If applying for a direct animal care position: dog enrichment, cattery, small animal room).
*Have access to the Internet and an email account.
*Have reliable transportation to be able to get to our shelter, located at 88530 Green Hill Road in Eugene, Oregon.
*For those 18 and over, pass a standard criminal background check. Note, we are not able to accept volunteers who have committed crimes against minors or other vulnerable populations, charges of theft or assault within the last 7 years, or have felonies or instances of animal abuse / cruelty from any time period.
*Pay volunteer registration fee ($25 for those age 18 and over, $15 for those ages 16-17, $30 for parent/youth teams)
Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to volunteer on site but can find lots of fun ways to help our animals by visiting our Cub’s Corner page!
To learn more about our volunteer team positions, please click here.
If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, please first watch this short video all about Greenhill, the volunteer program and more details on the process to get started.
https://www.green-hill.org/volunteer-training-video/
After watching the video if you would like to join us as a Greenhill volunteer, please pay for your volunteer registration fee at the following link. Be sure to select the package that fits the type of volunteering you will be doing!
https://www.green-hill.org/product-category/vol_registration/
After payment is processed you will receive an email to initiate your background check or with next steps (for those under 18).
Note, community service volunteers and students or those needing hours signed off on for school or a program, should also pay for their registration fee to get started. **If you have to meet specific volunteer hour requirements (i.e. a certain # number of hours per day or per week), please contact the Volunteer Dept. prior to submitting your volunteer registration so we can make sure we can accommodate that.
Please note that, in the interest of safety and in accordance with guidelines from health authorities, new volunteer orientations have been temporarily suspended through May. New volunteer registrations are still being accepted, and orientations are currently scheduled to resume in June. Thank you for your patience during this delay.
For more information or if you have any questions, please feel free to call or e-mail us at 541.844.8824 or volunteer@green-hill.org. We can’t wait to have you on our team!
Find ways to help Greenhill:
Volunteer Spotlight
May 2020
Aaron Rauschert
Meet Aaron, our Volunteer of the Month for May! Aaron started volunteering in March 2017 and has already contributed over 196 hours of service to our shelters. He volunteers on the Dog Enrichment Team and as a DEP Levels 1, 2 and 3 trainer.
Aaron’s favorite aspect of volunteering is, “enriching the dog’s lives during their time in the shelter. As we know, the shelter environment is extremely stressful for the dogs so having an opportunity to embrace their lives, while in the shelter, is so rewarding. As a trainer, I really enjoy training the new volunteers. They are so important to the mission of Greenhill and to the dogs in the shelter. I really enjoy walking through the kennels and seeing the volunteers using the tools that we gave them to enrich the dog’s lives.”
Aaron also volunteers as a board member at Womenspace, and with the Cascade Medical Team doing community development projects for the impoverished population in the Guatemalan Highlands.
From volunteering at Greenhill Aaron has learned, “I had very limited experience in clicker training when I first started at Greenhill back in 2017. I took to it pretty quickly because of the impact it had on the dogs in Greenhill’s care. I have done lots of reading and training now on the use of the clicker and positive reinforcement training.”
Aaron was born and raised in Eugene. He states, “I have traveled most of the United States but just love Eugene and Oregon. Not too many places where you are 1 hour away from the beach/coast, 1 hour away from the mountains, and 2 hours away from the high desert.” Aaron currently works as a Supervisor for Lane County Parole and Probation. He is also a part-time teacher at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem where he teaches basic police, corrections, and parole and probation students.
Aaron enjoys working out, which includes running and lifting weights. He also enjoys traveling, the outdoors, bowling, trying out new breweries around the country, and building out his Jeep. He likes to drive his Jeep in the snow, on sand dunes and to out of state four-wheeling events. Whenever possible, his two dogs like to join him in his adventures.
We Love You, Volunteers!!
— Volunteer and Foster Appreciation Party —
