Volunteer

VOLUNTEER WITH US!

Volunteers at Marine Discovery Center are the heart and soul of everything we do! Your passion and unstoppable energy keep our mission alive, making every day brighter and more inspiring. Ready to jump into this fun and friendly team? Explore the Volunteer Opportunities below and scroll down to learn how to become a volunteer with us!

Welcome Center

Welcome Center volunteers are our MDC Ambassadors and provide our guests with their first impression of Marine Discovery Center. These volunteers greet customers, assist with reservations for boat or kayak tours, camps or various programs, and assist our guests in our gift shop. Phone skills and light computer skills are needed but most importantly the ability to engage with our guests. Commitment: Requires training and a commitment to work one 4 hour shift per week. Shifts are: Weekdays 9am-1pm / 1-5pm and Weekends 9:30am-12pm / 12:00-2:30pm | Availability: Year-round (we need you now!) | Age: 16+.

female volunteer showing kids marine discovery center exhibit tanks

Exhibit Docent

Docents greet visitors and guide them through our exhibit area, helping guests with the habitat in our touch tanks and sharing information about our narrated eco-tours and educational programs.. This is an important volunteer position as while our exhibit area is not large, it does tell the story of our mission to protect our coastal ecosystems through education, conservation and exploration. Commitment: Requires training and a commitment to work one 3 – 3.5 hour shift per week. Shifts are: Weekdays 10am-1pm / 1-4pm and Weekends 10am-1:30pm | Availability: Ongoing | Age: 14+

line of volunteers moving oyster bags on shoreline for restoration

Shoreline Restoration

MDC often works with various projects that aim to restore intertidal and subtidal habitats along the Indian River Lagoon or adjacent waterways. The goal is to help stabilize eroded shorelines, oyster reefs, and seagrass beds which have experienced degradation from boat wake energy. This is accomplished by implementing various materials to buffer wave energy and recruit oysters and other species, in addition to planting native intertidal vegetation to stabilize habitat for organisms to grow and prosper. Projects may include creating oyster mats & oyster volcanoes or working at our seagrass & clam nursery. You can learn more about some of these HERE. Availability: Year-round | Age: Age restrictions vary by project.

volunteer measuring horseshoe crab on shoreline

Community Science

Be a part of research and data collection for the Indian River Lagoon! Help with projects such as atmospheric microplastic deposition, plankton sampling, horseshoe crab surveys, weather data collection, shoreline & marsh monitoring, and invasive species removal. Projects vary by season. You can learn more about some of these HERE. Availability: Year-round | Age: Age restrictions vary by project

swat gardening volunteers holding loppers

Facilities Programs

Get your hands dirty and help keep us beautiful! Join our Site Work Action Team to tackle landscaping, mulching, and general maintenance tasks. We also have an Adopt-A-Garden program beginning in 2025 for garden enthusiast volunteers to manage specific areas in our gardens. Availability: Year-round | Age: 15+ (under 18 must be accompanied by an adult)

Events

Busy during the week? Help with events on weekends and evenings. Tasks range from setup to outreach. Commitment: Depends on the event! Training will be provided. Availability: Mostly fall, winter, and spring | Age: 14+

female volunteer with kayaks on shoreline

Kayak Tour Sweeps

Experienced kayaker? Assist tour guides in keeping groups together during daily morning (and occasionally evening) tours. Must be able to team-lift 50 lbs. Availability: Limited | Age: 16+

EDUCATION

Under the education umbrella there are two areas: Field Trips and Camps. Background screening is required for all volunteers aged 18 and over, and when it comes to our education programs screening required depends on the following:

LEVEL I background screening is required if volunteering less than 10 hours per week.
LEVEL II background screening (includes fingerprinting) is required if volunteering more than 10 hours per week, as required by the State of Florida, or if volunteering for any camps.

** You only complete one or the other…not both. If you are under 18 you will submit 2 letters of recommendation in lieu of a background screening. See above for all application details.

male education volunteer showing turtle to kids

Field Trips & Educational Programming

These volunteers assist our education specialists with fields trips from Public, Private, Charter and Home schools and help with various stations that may include Plankton, Exhibits, Seine Netting or Mangrove Planting to name a few. Field trips may be on campus, aboard the Dolphin Discovery boat to a barrier island, or “on the road” at a school. Field trip students vary from 2 – 18 years of age. Other education programs may also require volunteers – learn more about our offerings HERE. Commitment: Requires training. Field trip times vary but generally be prepared to be onsite from 9am-2pm | Availability: Mostly fall, winter, spring (limited in summer) | Age: 14+/16+ (varies by activity) and older.

teenage girl holding crab in marsh volunteering with camps

School Holiday & Summer Camp

These volunteers assist our education specialists in delivering a magical experience, ensuring the safety & well-being of our campers as well as assisting with various stations throughout the day. Volunteers greet and keep the kids active during arrival time and assist in tidying up and prepping camp areas for the next day. Availability: Year-round. Summer camps are June-August. Commitment: Requires training. Volunteers should be prepared to be onsite from 8am-3:30pm. | Age: 14+ or 16+ (depends on the camp) | Requirements: Under 18? Submit two recommendation letters. Over 18? Level II background screening required.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

female volunteer intern with oyster mats on oyster reef

Internships

Gain experience in education, restoration, exhibits, or events! Internship opportunities vary by season and MDC needs. Check our Jobs and Internships Page for details.

group of volunteers from publix in matching shirts at marine discovery center

Group Volunteering

Corporate, school, or community group? Join us for projects like restoration, maintenance, or event support. Contact Wendy at [email protected] to learn more!

We are very happy that you are interested in volunteering with Marine Discovery Center! We are a small but mighty staff, yet we could not reach our goals without the help of our community.

Please read through the various areas of engagement above as you will be asked to choose up to two areas on the application. You can always add areas as you get familiar with our organization.

READY TO JOIN US?
Please complete the steps below. Once you have submitted the items below, our volunteer coordinator will reach out to let you know your next steps. If you are interested in Internship or Group Volunteering opportunities, please see the instructions in those sections above – you do NOT need to complete the steps below at this time.

Step 1: Click HERE to complete a Volunteer Application.

Step 2: Complete a Background Screening. All adult volunteers (ages 18 and above)* are required to complete a Level I or Level II Background Screening. The level you need is determined by how much time you spend with our students on a regular basis. Most adult volunteers will only need a Level I Screening. Only adult volunteers that spend over 10 hours a week with our students OR volunteer with any of our camps are required to complete a Level II screening. You just need ONE type of screening, not both. Both screenings have a cost associated with them.

• Level I Screening: Please download the screening form, fill it out and drop it off at MDC (attn: Wendy Castino) or email it to [email protected]. There is a processing fee of $17.50 that must be paid at MDC’s Welcome Center before your screening can be processed. You can also pay this over the phone at 386.428.4828.

• Level II Screening: Please fill out the online request form below; once completed this form automatically will be sent to our Volunteer Coordinator who will then reach out with you for your next steps to schedule fingerprinting. There is a processing fee of $75 that will be paid at the time of fingerprinting; please do NOT pay this at MDC.

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Submit a Level II Background Screening Request

Level II Background Screening Request Form

This form is required by the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Once this form is submitted, you will be contacted by our Volunteer Coordinator regarding how to schedule your required fingerprinting session. This level of screening is only required for adult MDC volunteers that spend over 10 hours a week with our students OR volunteer with any of our camps are required to complete a Level II screening.

First Name(Required)

Middle Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

Aliases

SSN(Required)

Date of Birth(Required)

Place of Birth(Required)

City and State

Sex(Required)

Race(Required)

Hair Color(Required)

Eye Color(Required)

Height(Required)

Weight(Required)

Address(Required)

Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Prior States

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Consent(Required)

I agree to the privacy policy.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT :: NOTICE FOR APPLICANTS SUBMITTING FINGERPRINTS FOR A CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD CHECK

NOTICE OF:
• RETENTION OF FINGERPRINTS,
• PRIVACY POLICY, AND
• RIGHT TO CHALLENGE AN INCORRECT CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD

This notice is to inform you when you submit a set of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for the purpose of conducting a search for any Florida and national criminal history records that may pertain to you, the results of the search are returned to the authorized agency ORI indicated in the transaction. By submitting fingerprints, you are authorizing the dissemination of any state and
national criminal history record that may pertain to you to the agency from which you are seeking approval to be employed, licensed, or have access to their facility. The fingerprints submitted are retained by FDLE and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and FDLE will notify the agency of any subsequent arrests.

Your Social Security Account Number (SSAN) is needed to keep records accurate because other people may have the same name and birth date. Pursuant to the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a), FDLE is responsible for informing you whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, by what statutory or other authority your SSAN is solicited, and what uses will be made of it. FDLE does not require a SSAN but it could cause a delay in processing your criminal record check.

Authorized agencies are allowed to release a copy of the state and national criminal record information to a person who requests a copy of his or her own record if the identification of the record was based on submission of the person’s fingerprints. Therefore, if you wish to review your record, you may request a copy of your record from the screening agency. After you have reviewed the criminal history record, if you believe it is incomplete or inaccurate, you may conduct a personal review as provided in s. 943.056, F.S., and Rule 11C-8.001, F.A.C. by calling FDLE at (850) 410-7898. If you believe the national information is in error, you may contact the FBI at (304) 625-2000. You can receive any national criminal history record that may pertain to you directly from the FBI, pursuant to 28 CFR Sections 16.30-16.34. You have the right to a reasonable time to obtain a determination as to the validity of your challenge before a final decision is made about your status as an employee, volunteer, contractor, or subcontractor.

The FBI’s Privacy Statement follows and contains additional information.

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT
Authority: The FBI’s acquisition, preservation, and exchange of fingerprints and associated information is generally authorized under 28 U.S.C. 534. Depending on the nature of your application, supplemental authorities include Federal statutes, State statutes pursuant to Pub. L. 92-544, Presidential Executive Orders, and federal. Providing your fingerprints and associated information is voluntary; however, failure to do so may affect completion or approval of your application.

Social Security Account Number (SSAN): Your SSAN is needed to keep records accurate because other people may have the same name and birth date. Pursuant to the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a), the requesting agency is responsible for informing you whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, by what statutory or other authority your SSAN is solicited, and what uses will be made of it. Executive Order 9397 also asks Federal agencies to use this number to help identify individuals in agency records.

Principal Purpose: Certain determinations, such as employment, licensing, and security clearances, may be predicated on fingerprint based record checks. Your fingerprints and associated information/biometrics may be provided to the employing, investigating, or otherwise responsible agency, and/or the FBI for the purpose of comparing your fingerprints to other fingerprints in the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) system or its successor systems (including civil, criminal, and latent fingerprint repositories) or other available records of the employing, investigating, or otherwise responsible agency. The FBI may retain your fingerprints and associated information/biometrics in NGI after the completion of this application and, while retained, your fingerprints may continue to be compared against other fingerprints submitted to or retained by NGI.

Routine Uses: During the processing of this application and for as long thereafter as your fingerprints and associated information/biometrics are retained in NGI, your information may be disclosed pursuant to your consent, and may be disclosed without your consent as permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974 and all applicable Routine Uses as may be published at any time in the Federal Register, including the Routine Uses for the NGI system and the FBI’s Blanket Routine Uses. Routine uses include, but are not limited to, disclosures to: employing, governmental or authorized non governmental agencies responsible for employment, contracting licensing, security clearances, and other suitability determinations; local, state, tribal, or federal law enforcement agencies; criminal justice agencies; and agencies responsible for national security or public safety.

Additional Information: The requesting agency and/or the agency conducting the application-investigation will provide you additional information pertinent to the specific circumstances of this application, which may include identification of other authorities, purposes, uses, and consequences of not providing requested information. In addition, any such agency in the Federal Executive Branch has also published notice in the Federal Register describing any systems(s) of records in which that agency may also maintain your records, including the authorities, purposes, and routine uses for the system(s).

*Students under 18 years of age do not need to do a background screening but instead are required to provide TWO letters of recommendation from a Teacher, Coach, Organizational Leader, or employer (this can include babysitting, lawn care etc..). They can be delivered in person or via email to [email protected]. The letter must include the organization’s name, name of the person writing the reference letter, address and telephone number or email.

If you have any questions at all about this process or volunteering in general
please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected]

Our Mission:

"To protect our coastal ecosystems through education, conservation, and exploration"