At least 14 Pride groups are putting out strong calls for volunteers this year to help with their big annual Pride events and more.
The tasks that need volunteer hands include helping to organize parades; security-related tasks like taking tickets or monitoring parking lots; setting up for festivals and cleaning up afterwards; and more. In addition to these groups that have specifically called for more volunteers, several dozen other Pride events are also happening, and may also need volunteer support.
You can find a calendar of Pride events throughout Illinois and Iowa that include links to the groups organizing them. Overall, LGBTQ+ Pride events are to commemorate the uniting and visible spirit inspired by the June 28, 1969, Stonewall Uprising in New York City. Here’s a starting list of Pride groups seeking volunteers, and how to get involved:
In addition to the 13 events and groups mentioned here, go here to find a list of LGBTQ+ Pride events in Illinois and Iowa that might be seeking volunteers.
May 31-June 1
• Volunteers are needed for the 2024 Quad Cities Pride Festival, happening May 31 and June 1 in Rock Island, Ill. Help is needed for gate entry, set-up, teardown and more. This event serves both the Iowa and Illinois side of the Quad Cities; it’s happening at Schwiebert Park just off of the Mississippi River. Sign up here to help the Quad Cities Pride Alliance present this two-day event.
• QC Pride, the nonprofit that organizes the Pride Parade annually in the Quad Cities, is seeking volunteers to help with QC Unity Pride Parade June 1, and year-round. The parade will help kick of the big festival on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. in Davenport, Ia., and proceeding across the Centennial Bridge into Rock Island, Ill. “We are looking for people with different talents and skills to help support our events, ranging from Unity Pride Week to booths at community function,” the group wrote in a Facebook post. “Security, representatives, event monitors, decorators, laborers, you name it.” Sign up to volunteer with QC Pride here.
• DBQ Pride for the northeastern Iowa community of Dubuque is seeking volunteers for 2- and 2.5-hour shifts between noon and 6 p.m. June 1, the date of the 2024 Dubuque Pride Festival. Dubuque’s Pride organizing committee is collaborating with Volunteer DBQ, a volunteer recruitment service provided by the City of Dubuque, to find help; head to this link to sign up.
• Elgbtq+ in Elgin, Ill., is seeking volunteers to help out with its second annual Pride Parade June 1. Sign up here to lend a hand.
• Clock Inc. LGBTQ Community Center, which serves the entire Quad Cities region from its Rock Island, Ill., headquarters, is seeking volunteers to help out with its booth at the Quad Cities Pride Festival, and at the Pride Party at Bass Street Landing June 15 in Moline. Sign up here to get involved.
June 7-9
• Capital City Pride in Des Moines is seeking volunteers for its weekend of Pride events from June 7-9. “Did you know, that it takes more than 500 volunteers, over 3 days and 80 shifts, to make PrideFest happen?” the group writes about its big festival June 8, Iowa’s largest. Sign up here to help out throughout the weekend.
• Aurora Il Pride in Illinois is seeking volunteers to help with its Pride parade June 9. Volunteers will help with check-in, lineup, step-off, and exit for parade units; join in safety-related tasks or help clean-up or move material throughout the day. Sign up here to help out with Aurora Il Pride.
• The Galena Pride Picnic group and the Galena Public Library are seeking volunteers to help with the town’s June 8 festival. Sign up here.
June 15
• On June 15, The Project of the Quad Cities has two events in need of volunteer support. Starting at 8 a.m., volunteers are needed to help with The Project’s annual Pride 5K: Walk, Run & Roll. Then, volunteers are needed from 3 to 10 p.m. for Pride Party at Bass Street Landing, a vendor fair and stage show. To sign up and help, head to this link.
• Also on June 15, Iowa City Pride is seeking volunteers for its annual Pride Festival & Parade. The event, one of Iowa’s largest annual Pride festivals, is noon to 10 p.m. in downtown Iowa City and features a vendor fair, stage show, parade and march, and more. Sign up here to volunteer with Iowa City Pride.
• Southern Illinois Pride Collective (SOIL), one of two Pride groups in the Carbondale area in southern Illinois, is seeking volunteers to help with its Southern Il Pride Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and other efforts year-round. To apply as a volunteer, head to this link.
• Peoria Proud is seeking volunteers to help out with its River City PrideFest, coming July 20. You can choose from several three-hour shifts, starting at 7 a.m. and continuing until 10 p.m. To help out with this event by Peoria Proud, sign up here.
July 27
• Bolingbrook Pride in Illinois is seeking volunteers at least 13 years of age for its 4th Annual Pride Picnic & Puppies. The nonprofit is seeking volunteers for three-hour shifts as early as 8 a.m. and as late as 8 p.m., helping with set-up, clean-up and more.
A reminder that if your area’s Pride group and event isn’t listed here, and you’d like to help out, contact them anyway. Click here to find upcoming Pride events in Illinois and Iowa, and links plus contact information to the groups coordinating those events.
