The High Desert Museum, just south of Bend, is the largest cultural institution in Central and Eastern Oregon and the only museum in the nation devoted to North America's High Desert. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeVolunteers support nearly every part of the Museum, from staffing exhibits and leading hands-on activities for visitors to helping school groups on field trips, assisting at Admissions, and interpreting living history and natural history at various sites. Read more ›
Who can volunteerAdolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)Oregon Health Plan Hours
Oregon's first tribal museum, opened in 1993 by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, home to one of the country's largest tribally owned collections of Native artifacts, art, photographs, and documents. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeVolunteers help with community cleanup days on the museum's grounds and trails along Shitike Creek, and support exhibit openings, cultural demonstrations, and education days like the annual fourth-grade science visit.
Who can volunteerFamiliesGroupsAdolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Deschutes County Historical Society, founded in 1975, runs the Deschutes Historical Museum in downtown Bend's historic 1914 Reid School building. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeTrained volunteers lead the museum's popular guided walking tours of Bend's historic neighborhoods each summer, greet visitors and staff the front desk and museum store, help care for and catalog the collections and… Read more ›
Who can volunteerAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)Oregon Health Plan Hours
The Rural Oregon Community Foundation, which also does business as the Crooked River Roundup Foundation, is a Prineville nonprofit dedicated to preserving the Western Way of Life. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeVolunteers, including many local FFA and 4-H students, help run the foundation's annual Dinner & Dance fundraiser that kicks off Roundup week, and support youth programs like Boots and Roots and community events like the Fall Cowboy Gathering.
Who can volunteerGroupsSchool GroupsAdolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The public library for Jefferson County, based in Madras, run as a library district since 2000 with roots in a community library association started in 1916. Services include a bookmobile, a sound booth, a Genealogy Center, and the "I AM A STORY" oral history project.
Volunteering looks likeGeneral library volunteering when the library has needs, for people giving back or completing required community service hours. Apply online and the library reaches out when volunteers are needed. Read more ›
Who can volunteerCourt-Ordered / Community ServicePreteens (10–12)Adolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)Oregon Health Plan Hours
Honor Flight of Central Oregon flies local veterans to Washington, D.C., at no cost to them, to visit the memorials built in their honor. Founded in 2018 as one of about 140 hubs in the National Honor Flight Network, it gives priority to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam-era veterans and those with terminal illnesses from Central and Eastern Oregon. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeHonor Flight is run entirely by volunteers. More than 200 volunteer Guardians have escorted veterans one-on-one on the trip to Washington, D.C. Read more ›
Who can volunteerGroupsCorporate / Workplace GroupsAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Columbia River Circuit is the Pacific Northwest region of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, covering about 60 PRCA rodeos across Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho, including Central Oregon stops like the High Desert Stampede, Sisters Rodeo, and Crooked River Roundup. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeThe Finals draws its volunteer crew largely from the committees and crews of the circuit's rodeos, including Central Oregon's own. Read more ›
Who can volunteerGroupsAdolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Sisters Rodeo Association produces the Sisters Rodeo, billed as "The Biggest Little Show in the World," a PRCA professional rodeo held each June since 1940 at its arena just outside Sisters. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeThe Sisters Rodeo is put on almost entirely by volunteers. Each June, community members help with gates and ticketing, parking, ushering, concessions, the Sisters Rodeo Parade, the kids' events, and arena and grounds work, and many return year after year. Read more ›
Who can volunteerGroupsAdolescents (13–18)Adults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Camp Sherman Historical Society is an all-volunteer nonprofit, founded in 2004, that preserves the history of Camp Sherman and the Metolius River area. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeAs an all-volunteer organization, the Historical Society relies on neighbors to record and preserve oral histories, organize photos and archives, help with preservation projects at historic sites, and support community celebrations of local history. Read more ›
Who can volunteerAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Three Sisters Historical Society preserves and shares the history of the Sisters area, operating the Sisters Museum in the historic Hotel Sisters building, offering historic walking tours, and collecting photographs, artifacts, and stories of Sisters Country.
Volunteering looks likeMuseum support at the Sisters Museum: staffing the front desk during open hours, leading guided historic walking tours, helping with rotating exhibits and special events like the annual Murder Mystery, and assisting with the oral history and archival collection. Read more ›
Who can volunteerAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)
The Tower Theatre is downtown Bend's historic performing arts center, a 460-seat Streamline Moderne landmark whose neon tower has lit up Wall Street since 1940. Read more ›
Volunteering looks likeTower Theatre relies on a large crew of volunteers to keep the venue running. Opportunities include ushering, photography, giving tours, administrative support, hospitality, community liaison work, and helping with special events, with weekly trainings offered.
Who can volunteerAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)Oregon Health Plan Hours
The Greater Redmond Historical Society operates the Redmond Museum and cares for the City of Redmond's collection of historical artifacts, sharing the story of Redmond and its surrounding communities through exhibits and educational programs.
Volunteering looks likeVolunteers staff the Redmond Museum and greet visitors, help care for the city's historical collection, and support exhibits, school programs, and community history events.
Who can volunteerAdults (19+)Older adults (65+)