Volunteer
Helping our animals, our staff, and our community, volunteers are an essential part of the caregiving work that we do at the ARL. Through generous contributions of time and talent, volunteers allow our animals to receive daily exercise and enrichment and assist our staff with their daily duties. So much of what we do would not be possible without the heart and commitment of our volunteer team!
Volunteer opportunities
Click here to see foster opportunities.
If you are looking to complete community service hours, either school obligation or court-mandated, click here.
Below are some of the most common questions we’re asked by people who are considering becoming a volunteer.
How old must I be to volunteer?
Volunteers must be > 18 years of age to have direct contact with animals.
Volunteers aged 15 – 17 may be considered for certain positions that do not include direct contact with animals at the discretion of the ARL.
Volunteers aged 7 – 14 will be accepted for the Book Buddies program or other remote opportunities at the discretion of the ARL, always accompanied by a parent or guardian.
If I am looking to complete a certain number of community service hours for school, do I need to go through a volunteer orientation?
The community service program has its own requirements. Please click here for more information.
Do you currently have a court-ordered community service program?
Yes! We are now accepting individuals seeking court-ordered community service hours. Click here for more information. DO NOT COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION.
Do you currently have an internship program for high school students?
Yes! Complete this form to apply, and contact volunteer@berksarl.org for more information. DO NOT COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION.
What are the steps to becoming a volunteer?
- Complete a volunteer profile. You can complete a profile by clicking here.
- Following the profile completion, you will receive an autoreply email with a link to view our volunteer program description.
- Schedule and attend our in-shelter orientation and support task training.
- Schedule and attend training(s) for your desired volunteer activity.
- Set up the Better Impact app on your phone, so you have access to volunteer needs, scheduling shifts, and logging hours.
- Begin volunteering…and be sure to do your support task shift within your first month!
How many hours a week do you require to volunteer at the ARL?
We ask that you commit to volunteering 6 hours per month.
Ready to become a volunteer?
Complete the volunteer application and become a part of our life-saving team of volunteers.
