Rikki’s Refuge Volunteer Information

(PLEASE NOTE -You must complete a liability release form before you can participate.)

Thanks for your interest in Rikki’s Refuge, a multi-species animal refuge in Orange County, Virginia. As a pre-requisite for volunteering, we require that you visit the refuge during one of our regularly scheduled events. You may check our web site, rikkisrefuge.org, to see our event schedule. Please note that, except for the open houses, all events are RSVP, since they will only be conducted if we have volunteers to do so.

Once you have had a visit, you will see that our situation is closer to a farm than an urban animal shelter. Consequently, we have a great need for volunteers to help us support our physical plant (including things like mowing grass, picking up trash, and maintaining animal enclosures). We also frequently need help in cleaning cat areas (litter box duty, etc.). Most of this work is outdoors with all the resulting dirt, heat/cold and bugs that outdoor work encompasses.

This is not to say that we can’t use people with other skills, such as fund raising, publicity, internet expertise, public speaking, etc. so we can still use your help even if you don’t want to scoop poop!

Regular volunteer help, even if only once a month, is of most use to us, but we do sometimes have specific projects which can be done by a small group of people on a one-time basis.

To get started volunteering, e-mail us at mail@rikkisrefuge.org Be sure to reference volunteering in the subject line. If e-mail is not an option, you may call the refuge number, 540-854-0870 and leave your contact information at option 2.

Remember that our “facilities” are limited. Our restroom is a port-a-potty (although it’s cleaner than most) and we don’t have kitchen facilities. If bringing your lunch, have your own cold pack and insulated container. The BP station up the road has hot food items and the usual munchies (and restrooms).

For those under the age of 18-

A parent or legal guardian must be present the entire first time that anyone under the age of 18 comes for training. They must give permission and sign a waiver of liability for the child to be on the property.

Parents of a child 16 or over don’t have to participate in the volunteering themselves. We have some nice spots for sitting and reading in mild weather, but otherwise you’ll end up sitting in your car. In these cases, parents are NOT free to wander the grounds while they wait.

Children under the age of 16 must have a parent/legal guardian participate the entire time.