Volunteer

From petting puppies and fixing fences to answering phones and helping at events, your time and talents are always appreciated. We have a wide range of volunteer activities that are lots of fun. Please check out the choices and let us know how you'd like to help!

Volunteer Recognition

We love our volunteers, and like to take the opportunity to thank them in a formal way. April is Volunteer month. A special volunteer is selected to attend the Volunteer Center’s annual luncheon. At each graduation a volunteer is highlighted and thanked for their amazing contributions to Bergin University.

November 2008 (click to download) June 2008 (click to download) February 2008 (click to download) November 2007 (click to download) August 2007 (click to download) May 2007 (click to download) February 2007 (click to download) November 2006 (click to download) August 2006 (click to download) May 2006 (click to download) February 2006 (click to download) November 2005 (click to download) August 2005 (click to download) May 2005 (click to download) February 2005 (click to download) November 2004 (click to download) August 2004 (click to download)

Discover the magic of puppy love. Puppy petters of all ages know the joy and satisfaction of realizing that their volunteering is key in the development of superior Service Dogs. The "fit-your-schedule" hours make puppy petting very convenient.

Marilyn and her "W" puppies	Beauty and her "X" puppies

Puppy petters start by attending a 2 hr. Puppy Petters Orientation to learn special techniques for interacting with our newborn puppies. Due to the popularity of our puppy petting program, there may be a waiting period to attend an orientation. It is also subject to the availability of puppies. We have approximately four to five new litters each year.

Long-term puppy petters who wish to participate in more advanced projects, may be asked to attend additional training. Please call for more information and to register for our next orientation.

Our purpose in putting these pups with basic skills in puppy parent homes is to give them an opportunity to acclimate to household living. They have already spent evenings and weekends living with our college students, are toilet trained, and have been out in public on numerous occasions. However, all these experiences have been interspersed with their life here at the Institute. We would like them to have the opportunity to be fully integrated in home and family living.

Puppy Parents are required to attend introductory and bimonthly classes which include training sessions at the Institute and field trips to public settings. The pups are expected to live with you, go to work and shopping with you, and join you in fun family outings.

Our annual Open House in September is a big event that we need a lot of help with! Do you like to cook? We need helpers to prepare lunches that we serve to clients for the first week of every training camp. From time to time we have other special events that are fun to work on. If you want to help out, let us know!

Volunteers are needed to assist with many clerical and administrative projects. Answering phones (lunchtime and meeting relief); making phone calls; updating our database and assisting with large mailing projects.

Cleanliness is vital for the health of our dogs. Projects such as power washing our dogs' bedtime crates is very important. Rub a dub dub, pups in the tub. Dogs love to splash and play in the mud so washing dogs is a wet and wild time.

Do you enjoy gardening? Or perhaps fixing fences is your expertise. Volunteers help keep our campus grounds clean and well maintained.

Help Us Put The FUN in Fundraising!
Are you enthusiastic about spreading the word about Bergin University and the Assistance Dog Institute?
Do you have great ideas about raising money?
Do you have connections with local businesses and philanthropists?
Are you a great salesperson?
Do you have a little extra time on your hands?
Then, we need YOU!

We are looking for volunteers to join a fundraising committee. We meet monthly to brainstorm new ideas. Opportunities available to lead events. Please contact us to join.

We have a number of volunteer opportunities to help with our booths at fairs, trade shows, downtown market, etc. We also participate in several parades in each year. If you want to join us in one of these activities, please contact us.

Want to help spread the word about the good work we do at Bergin University? Contact us if you know of any group that would like us to speak about the University. The talks are free (donations are accepted) and can be of any length to any number of people. Our PR dogs love to speak too (woof!). Also, if you have any media contacts who are interested in hearing about us, we would welcome the referral.