Volunteer Opportunities

• 1. Adopt-a-Highway

  The Adopt-A-Highway program is a great way for friends, families, and community groups to come together and help Carol Stream stay clean!

  How to participate:

  1. Organize volunteers
  2. Adopt a short stretch of roadway through the Village
  3. Pick-up roadside trash 4 times a year (We provide supplies like vests, pickers, bags, etc.)
  4. Place the full garbage bags near the roadside and we will dispose of them
  5. Have fun!

  The Village will install an attractive street sign recognizing your participation. To sign up, contact the Public Works Department at 630-871-6260 or pw@carolstream.org.

• 2. Pond & Stream Sweep Program

  Looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors and make a difference?  Join us on Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 9 a.m. to Noon for the Village of Carol Stream’s Annual Pond & Stream Sweep.  Can’t make it on May 2nd? No problem!

  You can clean a pond any day of the year—register and choose a date that works for you.

   Annually, the Village organizes its self-guided “Pond & Stream Sweep” event around the same period as The Conservation Foundation's DuPage River Sweep to collect debris along the waterways. The first event occurred in 1999 and since then volunteers have removed over 26 tons of trash from 218 miles of shorelines and stream banks!  If you would like to volunteer for the annual event on Saturday, May 2nd, please fill out the online registration form by clicking on this link https://forms.carolstream.org/forms/VOCSPondCleanup to help clean the ponds owned by the Village and/or Park District. If you're unable to participate on this date, you can still register using the same link and choose an alternative date.

   Basic supplies (such as pokers, plastic bags, and gloves) will be ready for pick-up from April 29th to May 1st, between 8am and 4:30pm, at the Village Hall in the Engineering Services Department. After the pond cleanup, all trash should be securely closed and placed next to the roadway for staff collection and disposal. Any equipment lent by the Village must be returned on the following business day. For any inquiries, please reach out to the Engineering Services Department at (630)-871-6220 or email.

   Let’s work together to keep Carol Stream’s waterways clean!

  Thank you for volunteering!

   

• 3. Storm Drain Medallions

  Storm drain medallions with the words "No Dumping! – Drains to River" is a way to educate and warn the public. Volunteers who want to participate in the Pond & Stream Sweep, but do something different than pickup trash, may choose to install these medallions on our storm drains instead. Please contact our Engineering Services Department at (630) 871-6220 or via e-mail for more information.

• 4. Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.)

  C.E.R.T. training promotes a partnering effort between emergency services and the people that they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations or workplaces in basic response skills. C.E.R.T. members are then integrated into the emergency response capability for their area.

  If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community’s professional response, C.E.R.T. members can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until help arrives. C.E.R.T. skills also apply to daily emergencies.

  C.E.R.T. members maintain and refine their skills by participating in exercises and activities. They can attend supplemental training opportunities offered by the Carol Stream Police Department to further their skill base. Finally, C.E.R.T. members can volunteer for projects that improve community emergency preparedness. C.E.R.T. details are available from the Police Department. 

  For questions, contact:
  Officer Carol Cadle
  ccadle@carolstream.org
  (630) 871-6201