Fun in South Bay

Please select an activity of interest to you.

American Youth Soccer Organization (South Bay Region)

The organization provides youth soccer programs that are consistent with the AYSO national philosophy that Everyone Plays, Balanced Teams, Open Registration, Positive Coaching and Good Sportsmanship, for players from 4 to 18 years of age. We serve the communities of San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Campbell and Santa Clara. Become a team manager, referee, coach or assistant coach experience is not necessary.

Bamboo Garden (Los Altos Hills)

The Bamboo Garden was established in 1989 and contains over 70 varieties of bamboos and covers an area of two acres. Volunteer to work in the garden or share your gardening expertise.

Bay Area Older Adults South Bay (South Bay Region)

Do you want to help seniors live a longer, higher quality life?  Bay Area Older Adults™ is a charitable 501(c)3 organization that improves the health and well-being of adults age 50+ in the Bay Area.   Volunteering opportunities include web development, photography, videography, managing social media, leading hikes and fundraising.  The CEO will be your mentor and there will be opportunities to learn about what is involved with running a small company.  We are looking for someone who is self-motivated, reliable, organized; has good time management and people skills; and who wants to help the community.

Cantor Arts Center (Palo Alto)

The Cantor Arts Center has diverse collections spanning continents, cultures, and 4,000 years of art history. It include the largest gathering of Rodin bronzes outside Paris as an outdoor sculpture garden. Examples of volunteer opporunities include being a docent (free training is provided), working at the bookshop, supporting programs and events, plan art tours and lectures and support the library.

Charles Street Gardens (Sunnyvale)

Located on one acre of City of Sunnyvale land, Charles Street Gardens is a Sunnyvale Community garden run entirely by volunteers.  It is home to 92 resident only plots full of flowers, fruits, vegetables and other plants in 92 large plots. Gardeners must use organic methods and can only plant California native plants to ensure sustainability.  Volunteers are needed to care for The Food Forest that is based on permaculture. They donate their harvest to local food banks.  Other volunteer projects include helping to clean up the garden, organize the tool sheds, emptying compost bins and turning compost piles.

Computer History Museum (Mountain View)

Experience one of the worlds largest collections of computing artifacts with 600 in total. Some of the many volunteering opportunities include artifact cataloging, artifact photo editing, helping with archiving, and becoming a greeter or a docent.

Deer Hollow Farm (Cupertino)

The farm offers school year classes in Farm and Garden, Ohlone Native Americans, Wilderness, and serves as a summer day camp. Volunteer opportunities for docents to lead school field trips, answer the publics questions on weekends, help with maintenance and farm chores and work in the garden.

Emma Prusch Farm Park (San Jose)

Volunteering opportunities include helping to care for farm animals (chickens, ducks, a variety of other farm fowl, rabbits, miniature pigs, goats and sheep), care for the gardens, lead tours of the farm as well as other opportunities.  Free parking is available on-site.  Some refreshments are provided but please bring your own.

Friends of the San Jose Rose Garden (San Jose)

Volunteers help to maintain the roses at the Historic five and one half acre San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.

Gamble Garden (Palo Alto)

The Garden is a nonprofit community horticulture foundation. Volunteers help to maintain all the plants in the garden, help with garden tours, arrange flowers, develop and schedule educational classes, become a docent, work with children in the garden and help with their monthly garden tea events.

Heritage Rose Gardens (San Jose)

The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden is maintained completely by volunteers who weed, clip spent blooms, winter prune and propagate and plant.

Japanese American Museum (San Jose)

The Japanese American Museum of San Jose preserves and disseminates the culture and history of Japanese Americans, with a special focus on the Santa Clara Valley. It holds historical photographs, private memoirs and other unpublished documents from World War II.

Lyric Theatre (San Jose)

This theatre focuses on operetta. Volunteer opportunties include being a member of the cast, production and art staff, stage crew, create costumes, play in the orchestra, play piano, help to build the sets, help with production, finance, publicity, etc.

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (Mountain View)

The Center offers drama, comedy, musicals and musical performances. Volunteer to be an usher or art docent.

Museum of American Heritage (Palo Alto)

Permanent exhibits include early 20th century collections, general store, print shop, radio repair shop and historic gardens. There are a large number of positions available: help or teach classes, help prepare exhibits, be a print shop assistant, be a gallery assistant or docent or help with the garden.

Pacific Art League (Palo Alto)

Support the local artist community by contributing your time and skills to the many diverse opportunities including organizing the logistics of an art exhibit and helping with the art gallery. Some of the volunteer rewards are: free classes , discounted classes, free entry in main gallery exhibits and free print room passes.

Rengstorff House (Mountain View)

The house was built in 1867 and restored in 1991. It is an example of Victorian Italianate architecture on the west coast. The antique furnishings and wall and ceiling treatments by Bradbury and Bradbury make this a true Victorian home. Volunteer opportunities include helping with fundraising events (tea parties, croquet tournaments, fashion shows) and becoming a house or garden docent.

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art (San Jose)

This gallery is led by a professional curator and presents exhibitions in three galleries that include the most current, relevant and often challenging art from the region, the nation and the world. Volunteer to help with programs and events and learn more about contemporary art. Volunteers can help out with art gallery receptions, lectures, auctions and more.

San Jose Jazz (San Jose)

Volunteer to help promote jazz through supporting the ongoing performances and festival and through education.

San Jose Museum of Art (San Jose)

There are a variety of opportunties to volunteer. Meet new people, develop new skills, and support the arts. Contact them for more information.

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (San Jose)

The museum promotes the art, craft and history of quilts and textiles. It also provides an understanding of the role of quilts and textiles in the lives of their makers, in cultural traditions, and as historical documents. Be a museum greeter, gallery attendant, educators at schools, working on special events, exhibit installations or sales shop associate.

San Jose Stage Company (San Jose)

This is an intimate off broadway style theater founded in 1983. San Jose Stage Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to producing the works of contemporary playwrights that speak to the conditions, hopes and fears of all mankind. Volunteer opportunities include ushering, concession stand, setting up the stage and administrative work.

Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara)

The Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps is a world renowned, world champion drum and bugle corps that travels between six and eight weeks each summer throughout the United States and Canada performing in competitive field shows and parades. The Vanguard provides instruction in the areas of brass, percussion and color guard. Volunteers make costumes and props, prepare uniforms, promote the corps, organize celebration events and a local show, and provide support for camps and tour.

Teatro Vision (San Jose)

Teatro Vision is a Chicano Theatre company that celebrates culture, community and art. Examples of how you can become involved include helping with special events, outreach, translating from English and Spanish translations for the website and performances and photographers are welcome.

The First Tee (San Jose)

The First Tee of San Jose is a Chapter of The First Tee, a World Golf Foundation initiative dedicated to providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through golf, character education and life enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. They are in need of volunteer coaches and office assistants. Volunteers with knowledge and experience in teaching, coaching, mentoring or golfing would be ideal.

The Lace Museum and Guild (Sunnyvale)

The Lace Museum is one of two museums devoted solely to lace in the western part of the United States. The museum houses hundreds of tools, lace examples, books and other materials covering the history of lace. They need volunteers to help staff the museum or be docents, help to set up new lace displays, create new lace work for sale in the gift shop and other help in the gift shop. Volunteers for the museum can also teach lectures about lace to local organizations, provide hands on instruction at local schools and childrens craft fairs, and demonstrate lacemaking at annual county and craft fairs.

The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose)

The Tech needs volunteers to: welcome visitors to the exciting exhibit galleries, answer questions about the exhbits, perform demonstrations, and help visitors have a fun experience. A science or technology background is helpful but not required. The benefits to becoming a Tech volunteer are free admission to museum and free parking, exhibits and programs training, discounts on memberships and Tech store purchases, meet celebrities and Silicon Valley legends, field trips and special events, awards and recognition, make new friends and learn new skills.

West Bay Opera Guild (Palo Alto)

The Guilds mission is to support West Bay Opera. Volunteering opportunities include set construction and painting, making costumes, assisting with fundraisers, ushering, set up, decorating and food preparation for parties, and backstage action.