Better Together: Ways to Serve Williamson County in 2025
Jumping into a new year is often accompanied by universal efforts of self improvement. Your 2025 may have started accordingly: lists of personal goals, health and fitness plans, and hopes to enter this new season refreshed and better than before. Although noble, these goals can often be overwhelming and isolating. And it’s no secret that even the best laid plans are too often abandoned by February.
How can we make sure this year’s goals don’t succumb to the familiar fate of burnout? We can get better together. In Williamson County, there are an abundance of communal opportunities to preserve the place you call home and serve the people you call neighbors. Looking outward in 2025, let’s switch the mindset, joining together in the quest for healing and improvement. Below are some volunteer opportunities to consider as we step into the year:
Protect
If you’re interested in volunteering to improve and maintain public health and safety in Williamson county, there are opportunities to serve.
Williamson County Fire and Rescue
Williamson County Fire and Rescue accepts volunteer applications all year round. The department is non-profit and almost entirely staffed by volunteers over fourteen different stations across the county. To become a fire and rescue volunteer, you must be 18 years of age or older. Although you will be required to pass a background and physical fitness test, no prior experience is required. Volunteers are trained by the department over the course of 8-12 months. Training consists of 2 evening classes during the week and the occasional Saturday class. Following this training period, volunteers will be able to respond to local emergencies depending on certification level. Fill out the interest form here.
Williamson Health
Williamson Health Systems meets the healthcare needs of our community by providing the best and most compassionate care possible. Volunteers are a crucial part of this mission, serving in the emergency department, gift shop, and various offices. They may also be asked to meet and greet at facility entrances and transport patients who require wheelchair assistance. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old with a strong willingness to serve. This position requires interacting with patients and their families, serving them with the utmost kindness and respect. Once you become a volunteer, there is a minimum commitment of 5 months, or 50 hours, of service, due to the time and resources spent in orientation and training. Likewise, volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum of 1 shift per week and/or 12 hours per month. Fill out the volunteer application here.
Preserve
Preserving the beauty and history of our home is a key component in the fight to maintain communal space, historical education, and quality of life in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Keep Williamson Beautiful
Keep Williamson Beautiful is an environmental non-profit, and the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, a national organization dedicated to natural preservation and beautification. In Williamson county, volunteers have the opportunity to serve the local community by taking steps toward collective environmental sustainability. One of the most effective ways to partner with this initiative is by hosting a litter clean-up. Keep Williamson Beautiful provides a litter clean-up kit to groups and individuals wishing to be part of the cause. These kits include safety vests, litter pickers, trash bags, gloves, and safety signs if necessary. Find out more here.
The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, TN
Williamson County is rich with history, and the local Heritage Foundation keeps it alive. Through donations, events, educational programs, and preservation, the foundation protects and restores historical sites and archives, with the ultimate goal of maintaining the cultural heritage of Williamson County. Some specific sites and events where volunteers are needed include the Franklin Theater, The Moore-Morris History and Culture Center, and various Franklin festivals held throughout the year. Beloved events hosted by The Heritage Foundation include the Main Street Festival, Preservation Symposium, Pumpkinfest, Heritage Ball, and Dickens of a Christmas. To find upcoming volunteer opportunities click here.
Educate
In a time saturated with a constant stream of information, it’s more important than ever to equip students to learn well and think critically. Supporting local literacy initiatives gives the next generation of Williamson County residents an opportunity to thrive.
Raise Your Hand Tutoring Program
Raise Your Hand Tutoring program is a United Way sponsored education initiative that aims to increase reading and literacy skills within communities. Volunteer tutors are needed to commit to at least 1 hour a week for up to 12 weeks per semester. Tutors work with students one-on-one or in small groups, providing extra time outside of a traditional classroom setting to help students improve their reading and literacy skills. Tutoring times vary Monday through Thursday mornings (7:30-8:30 a.m.) or afternoons (3:30-4:30 p.m.). The minimum age for tutors is 14, with adult supervision. Raise Your Hand is currently hiring volunteers through March 25, 2025. Fill out the application here.
Williamson County Public Library
Libraries play a crucial role in supplying access to education within a community. Volunteers for the public library system help to keep facilities and programs thriving, offering free communal space and access to books and educational resources to all members of the community. Volunteer needs at the Williamson County Public Library vary, and volunteers may be asked to help with events, organize library materials, or help the staff with administrative tasks. The age requirement is 14, though volunteers between 14 and 18 years old must have a guardian’s permission via an affidavit. The need for volunteers fluctuates. For possible opportunities, visit the volunteer page here.
Serve
GraceWorks Ministries
GraceWorks Ministries is a collaborative, faith-based effort to combat poverty in Williamson County. By partnering with both local churches and private and public sectors, GraceWorks is able to meet the various needs of low-income residents within the community. From food scarcity, clothing, financial assistance, and housing support, GraceWorks is able to provide across the board assistance. This is made possible by a staff of 50 employees and the weekly help of over 270 volunteers. Volunteers can serve on a one-time or regular basis.
There are several local needs met through this organization. Opportunities to serve include the food pantry, mobile food pantry, thrift store (in store and donation processing center), and various community events. With enough training and experience, GraceWorks volunteers can become “GraceWorkers,” or volunteers who care for county residents on a closer level. GraceWorks’ user-friendly website offers individuals and groups the opportunity to create a volunteer profile, while seeing upcoming needs within the community. Sign up to work with the ministry here.
Opportunities for Teens
Volunteens is an online platform for Williamson County that makes it easy for young people to serve their community. Directed by Jiya Nandrey, a student at Page High School and resident of Franklin, the website and social media platform highlights service organizations and gives local teens the opportunity to sign up for volunteer opportunities with just the click of a button. To find out more about Volunteens, click here.
Healthy communities produce healthy people. Especially this time of year, it’s so easy to fall into a trap of hyper-individualism, a trend that often proves unfruitful and dissatisfying. In 2025, we hope that your plans for improvement extend to the greater good of your community. In this new year, let’s leave things better than we found them by loving our neighbors well and taking care of the place we call home!
