Become a Volunteer

An important goal of UrbanTrekkers is to connect our youth with caring adult mentors with whom they can form supportive and nurturing relationships. Our experiential approach to education emphasizes the value of learning from others. Volunteers bring a lifetime of experience from a variety of backgrounds. From a lawyer who loves astronomy, to an accountant who loves to build boats, our volunteers all have a heart to share their passions with our youth.

Apply today to Volunteer!


Meet Our Volunteers 

Experiential Learning volunteers have both practical experience and the desire and patience to work with inner-city youth. The following are some of our most dedicated adult mentors.

Maria Blatcher

A former research scientist, Maria joined UrbanPromise as a volunteer in the Development office, but quickly became enchanted by UrbanTrekkers! She now divides her time between the two departments, and takes every chance she can to join the Trekkers on wilderness trips, canoeing her way through the waterways of NJ, PA and upstate New York in the splendid vessels manufactured by the students in our boat shop. She also helps out at our weekly Leadership elective class, and in the summertime frequently joins the RiverGuides as they lead canoe tours on the Cooper River.

Gavin Webster

A retired merchant marine and world class sailor and traveler, Gavin leads our paddleboard build and offers life lessons few can share. His work with the 14 seniors from Camden Academy Charter High School offers so much more than just building a board.

Andy Field

A business owner with 40 years of boat-building experience, Andy has overseen students' building of beautiful cedar strip kayaks and river and ocean kayaks. He encourages his students to develop a dedicated work ethic and pride in the boats they construct.

Tom Kulp

Tom is an owner and partner of a civil engineering firm with 30+ years experience. In addition to being a founding member of Urban BoatWorks, he attends many UrbanTrekkers expeditions, drives the Trekker bus, and has developed strong relationships with many current and past students.
 

Bob Lehman

A practicing attorney for a major law firm, Bob not only donates his time to boat-building, but also treks and tents with our youth on many expeditions. He shares his love for and knowledge of astronomy with students under star-lit skies.

Dave Schill

A self-employed damage restoration contractor and retired US Navy Seabee, Dave grew up sailing boats and restoring them.  Almost a founder, Dave joined us just months after our program began, and has been building boats and mentoring youth with us since then.  

Bill Finnegan

Famous for his commitment to youth, Bill is a high school science teacher, and a volunteer with the Advanced Build on Thursdays, continuing to spend time with youth.  An asset in the boatshop, Bill is also a hobbyist winter weatherman, keeping us all informed about the season's upcoming storms.