About Volunteering

Volunteerism is the heart of Holden and it shapes the unique nature of the Village’s continuing life. Volunteers serve Holden’s ministry by cooking meals, cleaning lodges, tending gardens, caring for children, chopping wood and performing hundreds of other essential tasks. Each person who steps off the bus helps to shape the Village community; the staff welcomes, encourages, observes, celebrates and takes part in all that happens here. Each year Holden operates through the efforts of more than 600 volunteers. Staff members are the keepers of this amazing gift.

Our staff includes volunteers that come for varying lengths and time in a wide variety of roles.

Various forms of Village volunteering include:

Short-Term Volunteers work a minimum of three weeks. The majority of our volunteers are needed between April and October, but we also having openings throughout the year.

4-8 Month Volunteer positions support the operation of the Village primarily April through November and help provide some continuity in work areas.

Long-Term Volunteer Staff commit to a one-year position, usually in a position that supervises people and has the leadership of a work area in the Village.

Increasingly, former Holden staffers return to help us out for shorter periods of time: a weekend, a week, or longer.

Want to come as a Group? Groups that wish to join us for a week-long volunteer experience can come as a part of our seasonal Spring Work Week and Fall Work Week. Or gather your friends, family members or members of your church to come during the off-season as a Work Group. Groups interested in summer opportunities may want to look into our Trails Program or Work Camp (in June).

Want to come as a Family? Holden welcomes and encourages families to apply for both long- and short-term positions. We are a multi-generational community that rejoices in and embraces the simple diversity of age. The Village is home to a public school administered by the Lake Chelan School District. During the summer months we offer a Family Option program for parents with children.

To learn more about volunteering at Holden, read the Staff Handbook and Important Information about Volunteering at Holden.

If you have extra space in your vehicle for another person or are looking for a ride, please check our ride share board.

If you have questions about volunteering at Holden Village, please contact a Staff Coordinator at staffing@holdenvillage.org

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Feb. 10, 2012 – “That’s interesting … That’s really interesting,” I said in response to her, my friend, who was telling me, “I don’t believe in God.” This occurred three weeks ago up on the Goat Trail. For me this situation may have been similar to what my sister-in-law talks about when she tells this [...]

A Place Apart, a Place Eternal – 02/03/2012

I read this week in the Village Voice an invitation to share “Holden Stories.” I’d like to use Matins this morning to tell part of ours. I learned on Monday from the J-term students that Holden’s original name was Holden Village: A Place Apart. When life up this mountain includes power outages due to avalanche [...]

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