Community Volunteer Workday Program
Our Community Volunteer Workday program is at the heart of the National AIDS Memorial Grove. For 35 years, volunteers have gathered monthly to create and maintain this sacred space for hope, healing, remembrance, and creating community. Held on the third Saturday of each month (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 throughout the year.
Led by our 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 15,000 trees, plants, flowers, and shrubs, removing countless tons of brush and debris, and supporting large hardscape and infrastructure projects. Volunteers also clean the Grove's engraved hardscape features, resurface paths and roadways, and trench for irrigation systems.
2026 Community Volunteer Workdays (8:30am - 12:30pm):
Saturday, March 21; Saturday, April 18; Saturday, May 16; Saturday, June 20; Saturday, July 18; Saturday, August 15; Saturday, September 19; Saturday, October 17
To RSVP for an upcoming Community Volunteer Workday, click here! For groups, please cap your numbers at 15 volunteers. Please contact Steve Sagaser at ssagaser@aidsmemorial.org with any questions.
Sponsor a Community Volunteer Workday
Support Community Volunteer Workdays by donating toward costs such as tools, supplies, coffee, breakfast, and lunch for our amazing volunteers! We welcome individual, corporate, and non-profit partners to support our Community Volunteer Workday Program. We ask corporate groups in particular, to review our Grove Workdays Sponsorship Packet. For individuals wanting to sponsor a Community Volunteer Workday, please click here and designate "Grove Community Workday Program Fund". For more information about sponsorship, contact Oscar Fabian at ofabian@aidsmemorial.org.
Private Group Volunteer Workdays
In addition to our eight regular Community Volunteer Workdays, we host eight Private Group Volunteer Workdays each year, one per month, preferably on a Thursday, due to our Rec & Park gardener's schedule. Private 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. In order to cover associated costs, we ask corporate groups in particular, to review our Grove Workdays Sponsorship Packet. If you are interested in organizing and/or sponsoring a Private Group Volunteer Workday, please send an email to Oscar Fabian at ofabian@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.
