Volunteer Opportunities
Standby Sams
The Standby Sams program is a network of volunteers who provide emergency information and referrals to fellow Good Sam members traveling through their local area. There are nearly 2,000 Standby Sam volunteers throughout the United States and Canada.
Standby Sams help their fellow Good Sam members by providing contact information for local campgrounds, mechanics – even a good restaurant! If you have questions about the Standby Sams program, email standbysams@goodsamclub.com.
If you wish to become a Standby Sam in your area, simply fill out the online Standby Sam Volunteer Application.
Search our Standby Sams Directory
Adopt-A-Park Service
Under the direction of each state/provincial director, members volunteer to take on tasks such as planting new gardens, maintaining existing landscape, building overhead shelters, cleaning up debris, welcoming visitors, manning information booths, and completing light maintenance tasks. Each park defines its own volunteer assignments and these will differ from park to park.
The Club is proud of all of these dedicated Chapter and state/provincial organization volunteers. If you are interested in learning more about adopting a park, please feel free to contact your state or provincial director. All participants receive special Adopt-A-Park patches and caps from the Club.
Cleanup Days
The 16th annual Good Sam National Cleanup Days have been designated as May 19th - 20th 2012. This event has been scheduled for the weekend before Memorial Day weekend in an effort to prepare our public lands for the traditional camping season. Chapters across the nation are encouraged to select a campground, park, or other public land of their choosing to pick up branches and trash.
This year’s Cleanup Days will be sponsored by Camping World where Good Sam members now enjoy savings of up to 30% on RV accessories and installations. Camping World encourages members to bring their full bags of trash to a Camping World SuperCenter where dumpsters will be available for trash disposal. After you’ve disposed of your trash, stick around for a while and enjoy fun, food (while supplies last) and other festivities that are part of Camping World’s 8th annual Grillfest – a celebration offering amazing savings on everything you need to gear up for the peak cookout and camping season.
As part of this year’s Cleanup Days, Chapters are eligible to enter a drawing where the members of the winning Chapter will receive a $25 Camping World Merchandise Certificate for each family membership in the Chapter! Each Chapter that collects 10 or more bags of trash is eligible to win. Simply send a photograph of your Chapter with the filled trash bags to your state or provincial director in order to be entered. For more information please contact your Chapter president, state/provincial director, or e-mail cleanupdays@goodsamclub.com.
State and Provincial Chapters & Directors
One of the greatest benefits of Good Sam membership comes from the wonderful people you meet at club functions. Over the years, thousands of members have formed their own Chapters to host outings, campouts and volunteer activities. State or provincial directors are the contact point for events in their state or province.
Nearly 1,500 local Good Sam Chapters host a variety of fun activities, and many volunteer for worthwhile community projects. Find out more about Chapters in your area by contacting your state or provincial director at the link below. Visit the Event Locator link, below, for information about Good Sam-sponsored state and provincial events.
Chapters and Directors Locator
State and Provincial Event Locator
Adopt-A-Highway
Nearly 10,000 volunteer Good Sam Chapter members have helped clean up more than 500 miles of
highways in the United States and Canada through the Adopt-A-Highway
program. If you are interested in volunteering for this worthy cause,
contact your state or provincial director at the link below.
List of State and Provincial Directors
SeriousFun Children’s Network
SeriousFun Children’s Network is a growing global community of innovative camps and programs that provide life-changing support to children with serious illnesses and their families. Previously known as The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, in April 2012 the organization decided to changed its to underscore founder Paul Newman’s passionate belief in the power of taking fun seriously. SeriousFun Children’s Network remains deeply rooted in the philosophy that children with serious illnesses deserve an opportunity to simply be kids. Since the first camp’s inception in 1988, more than 384,700 children and their families have been served by SeriousFun Children’s Network, including over 253,800 children from 50 countries. Today SeriousFun Children’s Network includes 28 initiatives worldwide, all reaching beyond illness to help children and their families discover joy, confidence and a new world of possibility. SeriousFun Children’s Network and each of its member camps are independent not-for-profit organizations dependent upon private funding and the generosity of others to serve all children free of charge.
Learn more
about SeriousFun Children’s Network
Dogs for the Deaf
Dogs for the Deaf, a favorite charity of the Good Sam Club, received over $103,000 in financial support from Good Sam Club Chapters and state organizations in 2011!
Good Sam began its partnership with Dogs for the Deaf back in 1980, just three years after Roy Kabat launched the organization in response to a need in the deaf community. A retired animal trainer, Kabat taught dogs to alert their hearing-impaired companions to doorbells, telephones, fire alarms and other sounds. His daughter, Robin Dickson, soon joined the effort of rescuing unwanted dogs from shelters and training them to help people with disabilities.
Dickson now heads Dogs for the Deaf, recognized as North America’s oldest and largest Hearing Dog institution, and the Good Sam Club is its primary donor group. With financial support from Good Sam Chapters and other benefactors, Dogs for the Deaf places trained dogs free of charge with people with hearing loss, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical and emotional challenges. The organization also provides dogs to teachers, physicians, counselors and working professionals to assist them with disabled students, patients and clients.
Dogs for the Deaf celebrates its 35th year in 2012! Learn more about Dogs for the Deaf at dogsforthedeaf.org.