Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers at the USS KIDD help to augment our small staff and make many programs and events possible.  There are many different areas in which you may lend your time and assistance for the betterment of both the memorial and the community.  Many academic youth groups are required to dedicate a certain number of hours each month or year toward community service.  Additionally, many retired individuals (ages 55+) contribute their time each month through the Retired Senior & Volunteer Program (RSVP) of the East Baton Rouge Parish Council On Aging.  If you're looking for a way to contribute to the community, then come down to the river and join the team!  We'd love to have you aboard.

Volunteers help guide visiting tour groups

through the various decks and compartments

of the USS KIDD each day.

Tour Guides

Our personnel guide thousands of tourists through the passageways of the KIDD each year, whether school field trips or shore tours from visiting riverboats.  Tour guides are responsible not only for conveying the history of this great ship and her crew, but also for the safety and well-being of each member of their group.

A minimum of eight (8) hours per month is required to volunteer in this area.  If you are interested in joining the team, download a Volunteer Application form today.

Restoration & Maintenance

The USS KIDD has been restored through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who augment our shipboard staff.  Though many are veterans lending their technical expertise, military experience is not required.

All types of labor are welcome:  electricians, welders, plumbers, carpenters, painters, housekeeping, rope work, canvas work, gunner's mates / artillerymen, etc.

The KIDD isn't the only piece of hardware that requires attention.  The A-7E Corsair II and the P-40E Warhawk also require painting and cleaning throughout the year.

A minimum of eight (8) hours per month is required to volunteer in this area.  If you are interested in joining the team, download a Volunteer Application form today.

Volunteers lend much-needed manpower and

expertise to our shipboard staff in maintaining

and restoring a 60-yr. old vessel.

Information Desk

Volunteers at our Information Desk on the 2^nd floor of the museum encounter a wide variety of questions from our guests.  In addition to maintaining security on the floor, the Information Desk personnel provide information on the museum exhibits, restaurants in the area, driving directions, other attractions in downtown Baton Rouge, hotels, etc.  It allows a great opportunity for you to meet people from all over the world and to serve as an ambassador for your city.

A minimum of eight (8) hours per month is required to volunteer in this area.  If you are interested in joining the team, download a Volunteer Application form today.

The Star-Spangled Celebration requires the assistance of

over one hundred volunteers each year.

July 4^th Star-Spangled Celebration

The Star-Spangled Celebration is the major fundraiser each year for the USS KIDD Veterans Memorial.  Volunteers assist the staff in everything from the set-up of the festival grounds on the morning of the event to manning the ticket and drink booths throughout the day and assisting in the disassembly and clean-up of the festival grounds that evening.

As this event occurs only once a year and is a fundraiser, you must already be a volunteer in one of the other areas listed on this page or be recommended by one of our volunteers.

Living History Program

We need interested individuals to help to demonstrate and interpret the various historical eras in which Louisiana's sons and daughter have been called to arms.  Through "hands-on history," our visitors will come away with a better understanding of what they have seen and heard.

In addition to having young people to represent our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, we need the actual veterans themselves to lend their expertise to make that portrayal that much more accurate.

Click Here for more information on the Living History Program or contact us via email today.

Living History volunteers help bring history to

life for visitors to the museum.

Volunteers who cannot attend

regularly can instead help with

shipboard restoration during

the Field Day.

Field Day Program

Participants in the Fall Field Day aboard the USS KIDD assist in the restoration work of this historic vessel.  Participants bunk aboard ship throughout the weekend and enjoy hands-on involvement in various work projects ranging from restoration of the ship's engineering spaces to painting and chipping, polishing brass, and more.

All types of labor are welcome:  electricians, welders, plumbers, carpenters, painters, housekeeping, rope work, canvas work, gunner's mates / artillerymen, etc.

Registration fees cover your meals for the weekend:  $35 (Th-Sun) and $25 (Fri-Sun).

Click Here for more information on the Field Day Program and how to sign up today.

**Copyright 1997-2006 by Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission**