SERC is run entirely by volunteers, and there is a place for you whether you have a free Saturday a month or a free afternoon this week. Some roles need a state permit and some need nothing but a car.
Someone finds an injured turtle, calls us, and the animal needs a ride to our facility or to the vet. Our rehabilitators are busy with the animals already in care, so volunteer drivers are how most of our patients get to us.
Want to drive? Email or text us your general area and we will add you to the transport list. No commitment until your first run.
Transport is the biggest need, but it is not the only one. Pick the one that fits your time and skills.
Feeding, soaking, cleaning, weighing, and watching for the small changes that matter. Direct care of wildlife requires a Virginia DWR permit, and the entry level (Category IV, Care Provider) needs no sponsor and no home inspection. We will walk you through it.
Ask about animal careStaff a table at a fundraiser or community event, help with setup and teardown, talk to people about native turtles and snakes, and bring an education ambassador along when one is available. Our events page shows what is coming up.
Help at an eventEvery animal has a cost: fuel for the runs, crates and heat, and the vet bills that turn a maybe into a release. Run a birthday fundraiser, an office drive, or a 5K with SERC as the beneficiary, or point people to the donate page.
Plan a fundraiserPhotography, writing, grant research, and design all help. If you write code, our conservation tools are open source and welcome contributors.
Offer a skillMost people who find an injured turtle do not know who to call. Follow and share SERC, send the triage guide to your neighborhood group, and keep our number where you can grab it fast. A share is free, and it is how finders find us.
Some volunteers want to do more: raise box turtle hatchlings, incubate rescued eggs, overwinter animals that cannot go back out until spring. Virginia issues wildlife rehabilitation permits in five categories, and reptile and amphibian work has its own housing standards and release seasons. It is real work with real rules, and the people who thrive are the ones who read the instructions and follow them.
If that sounds like you, get in touch and we will send our plain-language guide to the permit categories, the application steps, and what we look for in the care providers and apprentices we sponsor.
