Event Volunteer Preparation

Here’s everything you need to know before volunteering at our upcoming special event! Please review the information carefully and let us know if you have any questions. You can email our Volunteer Coordinator and she’ll do her best to get back to you as soon as she can.

Our Next Event: EggStravaganZoo 2026

*Required Waiver & Release Form*

This waiver must be completed for EVERY volunteer who comes to the Zoo – including both CHILDREN and ADULTS. Waivers must be completed for every zoo event, for every person volunteering, every time.

Complete Release Form

Please remember the following:

  • Volunteering for the event does not provide admission to the event. Volunteers do not have to pay admission to be here to help; we are simply asking that you please don’t eat the candy or take advantage of other event activities.  (Think of it this way:  you are volunteering at the zoo to assist us with one of our largest fundraising events of the year. Volunteers who are witnessed eating/stealing candy will be asked to leave and will not receive verification of service hours for time spent.)
  • You are permitted to bring in bottled water to drink during your shift and/or snack items that are not candy
  • You will receive a free drink and free snack item(s) provided by the Zoo
  • You must return to the check-in room at the end of your shift in order to check-out, claim your Volunteer Voucher, and/or get service papers signed

Event Parking & Check-In:

  • Park in either of the zoo’s regular parking lots. The Lower Lot, across the street from the zoo and at the bottom of the hill, will be closest to the Volunteer Entrance. 
  • Look for the orange VOLUNTEER ENTRANCE SIGN, and proceed to the back entrance of the Zoo’s EDUCATION CENTER BUILDING. You will NOT walk through a Gate, you will walk up a gravel driveway to a white building with a green roof and enter the marked door. Follow the sign to turn right, around the corner, and enter our Classroom. There will be a Volunteer Coordinator to meet you, and you will need to SIGN-IN before your shift.  See map below for details.
View Map

Dress Code:

  • Spring-themed accessories are encouraged! Please consider wearing bunny ears or springtime bonnets/hats to get into the EggStravaganZoo spirit!
  • Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. You WILL BE OUTDOORS.  Do not wear open-toed shoes, like sandals.  Do not wear shirts with inappropriate words or images on them. 
  • We recommend BRINGING A BLANKET(s) to SIT ON or cover up with to help stay warm in chilly weather. 
  • We strongly recommend rain coats, ponchos, and/or umbrellas if rain is in the forecast. We try to plan activities under tents when possible, but some positions may be in the open
  • Regular volunteers can wear your volunteer t-shirts (jeans are ok, khakis not required for events)

Volunteer Schedule

Volunteer assignments provided on the forms below are subject to change upon arrival, based on volunteer availability (i.e. “no shows” and “extra shows”) on the day of the event.  We appreciate your understanding and flexibility.

  • Downloadable PDF coming soon!

Volunteer Assignment Instructions

The sections below contain descriptions of ALL assignments to which volunteers may be assigned.  After finding your name on the appropriate Schedule(s) downloaded above, you should become familiar with the instructions for your particular assignment(s).  Please note: assignments are subject to change upon arrival, based on volunteer availability (i.e. “no shows” and “extra shows”) on the day of the event.

Activity Station Volunteers

You will be responsible for supervising the station where guests will receive their activity handout, to play the “find the slither-hoppers game” during the event.

The rules of the activity will be explained to you on arrival, so that you can explain to the guests how to play. You’ll also remind them to pick up a prize at the prize table before they leave. You should not leave your station unattended at any time.

If you are a 1st shift volunteer, please note that replacement volunteers for the 2nd shift will arrive to replace you sometime before your shift ends. DO NOT LEAVE your station until these volunteers have arrived to replace you. 

The event ends at 2:00pm.  At that time, you are responsible for helping to clean up the event materials!  Bring your candy bucket, extra candy, and trash bag(s), to the place where you signed-in.  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Bounce House Volunteers

You are responsible for supervising children playing on the bounce houses/stations. Please be friendly and keep an eye on all children while they are playing inside.  Do not allow the inflatable to become too crowded. Children should stand in line and wait their turn to enter. 

Please remember:

  • Do not leave your station unattended at any time.
  • Children must remove shoes before using the inflatable.
  • The inflatables are for children 12 and under.
  • Approximately 8 children is a good maximum for the Bounce House – use your discretion to adjust that number based on size/age of children. 
Bunny & Bunny Helper Volunteers

For the Bunny: We recommend wearing layers and/or bringing along lightweight clothing. It can get warm inside of the costumes. For the Bunny Helper: you MUST dress in spring-themed clothing and accessories – feel free to be festive!

When you arrive, the Bunny Volunteer will be given your costume so you can change into it and be ready to be out in the zoo when it opens at 9am. 

The EggStravaganZoo Bunny will be stationed inside of the Mayan Restaurant. You will have a designated chair provided for posing with children for photographs.  The Bunny Helpers should assist the Bunny volunteer with getting to and from this chair as needed, and assist with getting children posed for photographs.  Parents should take photos; however, you can offer to take “whole family” photos if they want to be in the picture with the bunny, as well.  The Bunny Handler must “speak” for the bunny – to let children know when it is time for the Bunny’s designated Break Times, which will be posted for the public to view. 

Remember: You are responsible for keeping zoo guests smiling and laughing! So have fun, and interact with the visitors, be friendly and pleasant with them.  Helpers should always thank guests for visiting!

Rules for Animal Mascots:

  1. Mascots DO NOT SPEAK to zoo guests
  2. Mascots DO give HIGH-FIVES and plenty of HUGS
  3. Mascots should NEVER undress (remove a part of your costume) in front of zoo guests.  The Bunny will have a designated break time for 11:15am to 11:45am.  During that time, if you need a bathroom break, you must go to the back office room (where you were given your costume) in order to take the costume off.
  4. Mascot Helpers should assist the Mascots in getting dressed; make sure all Velcro is secured properly
  5. Mascot Helpers should help those in costume around the zoo.  Try to avoid stepping in puddles/on wet/muddy ground if you are wearing a full-length costume.

The Event ends at 2:00pm.  At that time, you can return to back office room and take off your costume.  Please leave the costume in the room when you have changed out of it.  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Candy Runner Volunteers

You will be responsible for delivering candy to the Treat Stations and Game Stations located around the zoo.  You will be provided with a map of the station locations when you arrive on Saturday.  Each station will receive a large garbage bin on wheels filled with bags of candy.  It will be your job to patrol the zoo, stopping at each station along the way to see when they need more candy.  You will be provided with rolling carts to deliver new bags of candy to your assigned stations.  Please check every Candy Station in the zoo at least twice per hour to ensure they do not run out.  Running out of candy is a HUGE issue for our visitors – and it is something we strive to avoid.

If you are a 1st shift volunteer, please note that replacement volunteers for the 2nd shift will arrive to replace you sometime before your shift ends. DO NOT LEAVE your station until these volunteers have arrived to replace you.  At that time, you may return to the check-in area to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

The event ends at 2:00pm.  At that time, you are responsible for helping to clean up the event materials!  You can help Candy Station Volunteers return their materials to the Candy Room (you will be shown where this is).  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Candy/Treat Station Volunteers

You will be responsible for supervising a Candy Station.  That means that children 15 and under will be coming to you to receive their candy. 

Treat Station Rules:

  1. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR STATION UNATTENDED at any time.
    1. We try to provide 2-3 volunteers at each station so that if one person has to leave to warm up or use the restroom/etc, he/she may do so.
  2. Only open ONE BAG OF CANDY at a time. We can return unopened, extra bags to the store!
  3. Give out the number of pieces of candy per child that is instructed to you on your arrival.
  4. Candy Runner Volunteers will be patrolling the zoo to bring you additional bags of candy.  When you have only a few bags left, notify a Candy Volunteer so that he or she can bring you a new bin of candy. 

If you are a 1st shift volunteer, please note that replacement volunteers for the 2nd shift will arrive to replace you sometime before your shift ends. DO NOT LEAVE your station until these volunteers have arrived to replace you. 

The event ends at 2:00pm.  At that time, you are responsible for helping to clean up the event materials!  Bring your candy bucket, extra candy, and trash bag(s), to the place where you signed-in.  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Costume Mascot Volunteers

Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Do not wear open-toed shoes, like sandals.  We recommend wearing or bringing along lightweight clothing. It can get VERY warm inside of the costumes. 

What you should expect: When you arrive, you will be given your costume so you can change into it and be ready to be out in the zoo when it opens at 9am. 

You are responsible for keeping zoo guests smiling and laughing! (This is especially important when they have to wait in lines!)  So have fun, wander around the zoo, or feel free to stand near the grassy areas near the south side and the entrances of the Visitor Center. 

Rules for Animal Mascots:

  • Mascots DO NOT SPEAK to zoo guests
  • Mascots DO give HIGH-FIVES and plenty of HUGS
  • Mascots should NEVER undress (remove a part of your costume) in front of zoo guests.  If you need a bathroom break, you must go to the Education Center (where you were given your costume) in order to take the costume off.
  • Some of the mascots make the zoo’s lions nervous – please avoid standing in front of the lion exhibit.  You may walk past it, but do not spend any significant amount of time in front of it.
  • Mascot Helpers/Handlers should help those in costume around the zoo.  Try to avoid stepping in puddles/on wet/muddy ground if you are wearing a full-length costume.
  • Please try to stay in your costume as much as possible.  If you have a handler/helper and wish to trade places with that person, you should do so no more than once per every hour and 15 minutes or so. 

The Event ends at 2:00pm.  At the end of your shift, you can return to the Education Center and take off your costume.  Please leave the costume in the Education Center when you have changed out of it.  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Craft Station Volunteers

When you arrive, a staff will meet with you and provide you with all instructions needed for your assignment.  There will be coloring sheets and other craft activities for children’ to enjoy. Your job is to help the kids with supplies, and restock items as needed. Also invite guests into the area to partake of the free activities. Please be welcoming and smile and thank guests for coming.

Kid Games Volunteers

You will be supervising one of the children’s Game Activities.  There are several different games that children can play; games are fairly self-explanatory and easy to play.  Children will take turns playing and then they can move on to the next game if they wish.  For certain games, you will give the children a small prize (like a piece of candy or coupon/etc) after playing.  Not all game stations will have prizes to hand out, so if your station does not have a price, you should instead “reward” the child(ren) with an YOU-DID-AWESOME-HIGH-FIVE after they finish playing. ☺

You will be given all supplies for your game station when you arrive, and the Volunteer Coordinator will go over the rules of your game, as well.

Most importantly: HAVE FUN with the kids. Be friendly and inviting – smile and have fun with them.  This event is FOR THEM! So we want to do what we can to help them have a great time 🙂

If you are a 1st shift volunteer, please note that replacement volunteers for the 2nd shift will arrive to replace you sometime before your shift ends. DO NOT LEAVE your station until these volunteers have arrived to replace you.  At that time, you may return to the check-in area to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

The event ends at 2:00pm. At that time, you will help assist with the clean-up for the event.  You should return your unused prizes and games materials to the place where you checked in OR to the Education Building Patio – the Volunteer Coordinator will be sure to tell you where before the end of your shift.  Return to the VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN ROOM to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Prize Table Volunteers

You will be responsible for supervising the Prize Table.  Guests will be coming to you with their event activity cards to pick up a prize.

Station Rules:

  1. Be friendly and engaging! Smile and thank guests for coming to the Zoo! Tell them you hope they’ve had fun and come back soon!
  2. Do not leave your station unattended at any time.
  3. Ask each group how many slither-hoppers they saw during their visit, and if they found any with nests or eggs!
  4. Each child over the age of 1 may receive one prize. “Slither-hopper Search” cards DO NOT need to be turned in (only one card was given per family, not per child), but they can recycle the cards with you if they wish.

If you are a 1st shift volunteer, please note that replacement volunteers for the 2nd shift will arrive to replace you sometime before your shift ends. DO NOT LEAVE your station until these volunteers have arrived to replace you.  At that time, you may return to the check-in area to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

For 2nd shift volunteers, the event ends at 2pm, but we would like the prize station to remain open until ~2:30pm, to give people time to get a prize on their way out.  At that time, a staff person will visit your station to give you instructions on how to “close” your station.  Please assist the staff person with putting away your station materials. After you have helped with clean-up, you may return to the check-in area to get your FREE VOUCHER for a Zoo Admission, to use anytime in the next year to visit the zoo!

Rock Painting Station Volunteers

You will be supervising an activity where zoo guests will be invited to paint a rock to leave in our “Pebble Patch.” The goal is to “grow our pebble patch,” and help the rocks sprout with bright beautiful colors.  The zoo will provide:

  • Rocks
  • Painting kits with paints and brushes
  • Buckets/cups of water
  • Paper towel and/or wash cloths
  • Hand wipes

Encourage the kids to paint animal-themed rocks. Thank them for helping our Pebble Patch grow!

Questions?

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator with questions at volunteer@newzoo.org