Community Volunteer WorkdayS
Our Community Volunteer Workday Program is at the heart of the National AIDS Memorial Grove. For 33 years, volunteers have gathered monthly to create and maintain this sacred space for hope, healing, remembrance, and togetherness.
Held on the third Saturday from March to October, our community of volunteers ensure that the 10 acres of the Grove are cared for, protected, and maintained for the thousands of people who visit the Grove throughout the year.
Led by our amazing Grove gardening team, nearly 2,000 volunteers provide approximately 7,200 hours of annual volunteer labor. Without this volunteer support, the site would revert to a state of disrepair.
Since 1991, volunteers have dedicated more than 300,000 volunteer hours to the Grove. Their work includes planting over 10,000 trees, plants, flowers, and shrubs, removing countless tons of brush and debris, and supporting large hardscape and infrastructure projects. Importantly, they also ensure the care of the thousands of names engraved in the Grove, hardscape features, resurfacing paths and roadways, and trenching for irrigation systems.
Our 2025 Community Volunteer Workday Schedule:
Saturday, March 15, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, April 19, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, May 17, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, June 21, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, July 19, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, August 16, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, September 20, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, October 18, 2025 (from 8:30am - 12:30pm)
To RSVP for an upcoming workday, please send an email to Steve Sagaser at: ssagaser@aidsmemorial.org
Download our Volunteer Workday Fact Sheet
Sponsor a Community Volunteer Workday
Support our Community Volunteer Workdays by providing essential resources for tools, supplies, coffee, breakfasts, and lunches for our amazing volunteers!
We welcome individual, corporate, and non-profit partners to help our Community Volunteer Workday Program. Learn more about opportunities to sponsor workdays and benefits.
To sponsor a workday now - click here and designate "Grove Community Workday Program Fund" or to get more information, please contact Oscar Fabian at ofabian@aidsmemorial.org.
Special Group Volunteer Workdays
In addition to our eight regular Community Volunteer Workdays, we also hold eight ‘Special Group Volunteer Workdays’ each year, one per month, preferably on a Thursday, due to our Rec & Park gardeners' schedules.
‘Special Group Volunteer Workdays’ are held at the request of a corporate, community, or other group (such as a school or church), and must be approved in advance. With corporate groups in particular, we ask that you consider sponsoring your workday by making a donation to the National AIDS Memorial. If you are interested in organizing and/or sponsoring a Special Group Volunteer Workday, please send an email to Oscar Fabian at ofabian@aidsmemorial.org and Steve Sagaser at ssagaser@aidsmemorial.org.
Free Golden Gate Park Shuttle:
The free Golden Gate Park Shuttle offers access to the National AIDS Memorial Grove and the eastern half of Golden Gate Park with stops along JFK Drive and at the Music Concourse.
The shuttle operates 7/days per week:
• Monday-Friday, 12 noon to 6pm
• Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays, 9 am to 6pm
Learn more about the shuttle and access to Golden Gate Park here.
