Volunteer Opportunities

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Lake Shelbyville is the home of five beautiful USACE campgrounds that are cleaned, mowed, and maintained by volunteers. Our camping seasons would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. Each year we look for new volunteers to join the Lake Shelbyville Volunteer Team to continue making a great place for our visitors. Do you enjoying camping and being outdoors? Are you hardworking and dependable? Do you enjoy assisting visitors and teaching them about the Lake Shelbyville area? If so, you could be a volunteer at Lake Shelbyville for the 2026 camping season. To learn more about the available volunteer positions for the upcoming season scroll down to read more about each position. For questions, please call our Volunteer Coordinator at 217-774-3951 x 7047 or email lakeshelbyville@usace.army.mil.

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2025 Volunteer Season Update

In the Fiscal Year 2025, seasonal volunteers have completed a total of 1,100.3 hours of volunteer service. At Lake Shelbyville we have 30 seasonal volunteers. Seasonal volunteers include the campground cleaners, campground mowers, visitor center hosts, gardeners, and life jacket loaner station maintainers. This total number of hours does not include the numerous volunteers that assist with special events and day to day operation tasks such as Loop Lake Shelbyville, DirtWorx, Youth Deer Hunt, Disabled Deer Hunt, maintaining courtesy docks, trail work days and more! All the work that is completed at Lake Shelbyville would not be possible without the help of all our volunteers each year. If you are interested in joining this awesome team in the future please fill out an application below. Thank you to all our past & present Lake Shelbyville Volunteers. 

Volunteer Position Descriptions

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Expand List item 39845Collapse List item 39845  Campground Host

This job requires daily operation at a Fee booth, which is open 7 days a week (hours TBD). Seasons range from mid-April to end of October, depending on the campground. Volunteers are required to open and close the fee booth, answer visitor questions, provide any assistance, issue occupancy tags and vehicle tags to campers once registered, and remind them of the rules of the campground and lake. We expect this volunteer/couple to be helpful, polite, and welcoming to our visitors. This work schedule will be split up between 2 positions total and will operate on a 4 day on and 4 days off schedule. A predetermined full hook-up campsite is provided in exchange for 20 hours/week of volunteer work. To reach enough weekly hours, volunteers can pick up litter in the campground they are staying in.

Expand List item 28163Collapse List item 28163  Visitor Center Host Position

This job requires the daily operation at Lake Shelbyville Visitor Center, which is open 7 days a week (hours TBD) from end of May to Beginning of September. Hours include Sunday – Thursday 9:00am until 4:30pm AND Friday & Saturday 9:00am until 6:30pm, including holidays and weekends. Volunteers are required to open and close the visitor center, answer phones, provide any assistance, sell and operate gift shop, assist with auditorium setup and take down. We expect this volunteer/couple to be helpful, polite, and welcoming to our visitors. This work schedule will be split up between 3 positions total but should represent approximately 20 hours of volunteer labor per person each week. A predetermined full hook-up campsite is provided. To reach enough weekly hours, volunteers can pick up litter in the campground they are staying in.

Expand List item 28165Collapse List item 28165  Campground Mower Position Overview

 

This job requires the maintenance and operation of a riding lawn mower with zero turning radius and front mounted mowing deck and a gasoline powered line trimmer (weed eater). This equipment will be used to mow and trim approximately 19 - 23 acres in the associated campground. This work should be completed weekly by noon on Friday to avoid high traffic and noise in the campground during the stay of our visitors. Opossum Creek Campground and Lone Point Campground have one volunteer position that is responsible for all the mowing and trimming. Forrest W. Bo Wood Campground have three volunteer positions who are responsible for all the mowing and trimming. Volunteer mowers have a few extra duties that include litter pick up and fire pit cleaning on an as needed basis. Each volunteer position can be a single person or a couple who is volunteering together. A predetermined full hook-up campsite is provided in exchange for 20 hours/week of volunteer work.

Expand List item 28164Collapse List item 28164  Campground Cleaner Position

This job requires the cleaning of flush comfort stations, comfort stations with showers, and shower/laundry building. This work is to be accomplished daily. The daily cleaning responsibility is split among two volunteer positions in Coon Creek Campground and Lithia Springs Campground with a five day on/five day off schedule. The daily cleaning schedule is the responsibility of one volunteer position in Lone Point Campground and Opossum Creek Campground. Volunteer cleaners having a few extra duties that include litter pick up and fire pit cleaning on an as needed basis. Each volunteer position can be a single person or a couple who is volunteering together. A predetermined full hook-up campsite is provided in exchange for 20 hours/week of volunteer work.

Expand List item 39846Collapse List item 39846  Okaw Bluff Cleaner

This job requires a flexible working schedule and is for two houses outside of Sullivan. Hours and days will vary on reservations. Initial cleaning at the start of the season, routine cleaning throughout season, and an end of year cleaning. Must be completed before and after each reservation, which will be provided in advance. The volunteer position can be a single person or a couple who is volunteering together. A predetermined full hook-up campsite is provided in exchange for 20 hours/week of volunteer work. To reach enough weekly hours, volunteers can pick up litter in the campground they are staying in.

  • Campground Host
    • TBD
      • TBD
  • Cleaning
    • Coon Creek Campground
      • May - October
    • Lone Point Campground
      • May - September
    • Okaw Bluff Houses
      • TBD
  • Visitor Center Host
    • Lake Shelbyville Visitor Center
      • May - September

Volunteer Forms and Information