Recreation Ambassador Program
The Program
The Recreation Ambassador program aims to assist in providing an informative, clean, safe, and welcoming environment in popular recreation and visitor sites in the Entiat area.
For 2025, volunteer ambassadors will staff three locations on weekends from June 28th to August 31st, 2025.
This program is administered through Discover Entiat in partnership with TREAD and Visit Chelan County.
Locations:
- Columbia Breaks
- Entiat City Park Day Use Area
- Entiat River Road River Access Parking Lot
- Silver Falls Trailhead – Closed for the season
Upcoming 2025 Volunteer Dates
Dates crossed off have already been filled.
July 12, 13
July 19, 20
July 26, 27
August 2, 3
August 9, 10
August 16, 17
August 23, 24
August 30, 31
*Additional dates before and after the ones listed above may also be available, please inquire.
Program Details & Deliverables
Program Needs
From June 28 – August 31 the goal is to have:
- 6 total Volunteer Recreation Ambassadors per weekend, in three teams of two covering six locations.
- One team of two will be deployed to Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center on Saturday and Sunday 9am-3pm.*
- Two teams of two will be deployed to river locations each Saturday and Sunday. Times are from 9:00 am to 3:00 p.m.* but may vary slightly from weekend to weekend.
*Subject to change.
Reporting and Award Program
Each nonprofit can receive the full grant amount of $1,800 per weekend when all the requirements listed below are met. Failing to meet all deliverables will result in a reduction in the grant award by the percentage indicated.
Required deliverables:
- 50% – Maintain staffing levels of a maximum of 72 volunteer hours per weekend.
- 25% – Complete Ambassador Training Video
- 25% – Completing End of Day Report, wearing provided uniforms with no alterations or modifications and returning all equipment at end of volunteer period.
- REQUIRED: An end-of-period report that will include program feedback and the data gathered by the Ambassadors. This should be completed by the volunteer coordinator for each of the selected organizations at the end of their period. Once received, the grant award will be distributed
Ambassador Duties
- Guest Services: Welcoming guests to the area and answering area-specific, as well as regional, questions and providing assistance to visitors in the area.
- Outreach Patrols: An ongoing presence can be a deterrent for unwanted behavior so “making the rounds” at the locations as a way to interact with residents and visitors is key.
- Reporting: The Recreation Ambassadors will be required to gather information on the number of contacts they make, incidents of notable activity, and any other data deemed to be useful to assess future needs.
Ambassador Equipment
- Onsite Equipment: Each location will have a 10×10 tent for cover and shade, a table, litter sticks, extra garbage bags, gloves, masks, and small first aid kits. These items will be picked up at the Entiat Senior Center Storage.
- Uniforms: The professional appearance of Recreation Ambassadors is important in representing the area and for providing a sense of authority. All volunteers will receive a shirt, and a hat.
Benefits of being a Recreation Ambassador
- Money earned for your organization and the personal satisfaction gained by educating others to recreate safely and responsibly.
- Highly coveted Recreation Ambassador swag (Hat, T-shirt).
- Gain experience in community outreach and public engagement.
Step 1 – Eligibility
The Ambassador Program Service Grant will be open to member non-profits that have an active volunteer program and the ability to facilitate the program goals by utilizing their current volunteer network and expertise. However, if we cannot fill the weekends with members, we will accept applications from non-member groups. Individuals are encouraged to reach out to area non-profits, or are welcome to call Visit Chelan County (509)-699-8555 to be paired with a non-profit in need of volunteers.
REMEMBER! Your volunteers need to be able to do some walking and lifting to get their stations set up and broken down each day as well as other light physical duties.
Step 2 – Pre-Application Work
Applications period begins in April of every year. However, applications will continue to be accepted until all weekends have been filled.
BEFORE APPLYING
The baseline requirement is for organizations to commit and provide 6 volunteers, each working 6 hours a day, over a weekend (a total of 72 hours).
The program puts ambassadors where they are needed on any given weekend, therefore, your team does not have a choice of locations; members need to be willing to work where placed.
Coordinate with your team before applying in order to pick weekends that you know you have enough people available. Failure to do so could result in weekend being understaffed when another non-profit could have been awarded that date.
On the application, you will need to select the number of weekends you want to work, you can do up to three.
