Volunteer | Kennedy Center

Explore Volunteering

The Friends program reflects a wonderful bridge of individuals from diverse communities that abound around the Washington D.C. area. who want to serve the arts. One of our ongoing goals is a volunteer program reflecting inclusion for all!

For more information see “How you can serve.”

Founded in 1965, and 59 years later, volunteers continue to provide invaluable service to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Our volunteers exemplify President Kennedy’s legacy of contributing to the Human Spirit every day of the year.

How you can serve

Friends

When the Kennedy Center opened in 1971, Friends volunteers were trained and ready to serve for tours, information services and Retail Operations. Today, volunteers continue to serve at these locations as well many other areas around the Kennedy Center Campus.

If you love the arts and you want to give back on a weekly/bi-weekly basis, then joining the Friends is just the ticket for you. Following the call to service at the Kennedy Center reaps many personal rewards as well as benefits, and volunteering for a cause you're passionate about allows you to share the experience with like-minded people.

Volunteers greeting guests at the Visitors Center.

Festival/Event Friends

Love to volunteer, love the arts, but have only a limited amount of time available? Consider joining the Festival/Event team of volunteers, who assist the Friends with one-day opportunities, festivals, Opera in the Outfield, and more!

Hundreds of individuals are currently serving as part of this group, with more joining every day.

A group of volunteers handing out flyers for Opera in the Outfield.

NexGenFriends

Volunteers 40 and under Carrying the Torch of Volunteering Forward.

NexGenFriends are volunteers 40 and under who advocate for volunteer support at the Kennedy Center and promote performances to the Millennial and Gen Z populations in the Washington DC area.

Interested in becoming a NexGenFriend?

Friends over the years

Since the inception of the Friends program, volunteers have been an important part of this vibrant institution. We would love for you to consider giving your time and joining in!

The spirit of volunteerism was thriving years before the 1971 opening of the Center, when a small group of dedicated women came together to volunteer in 1965 and worked to raise millions of dollars as a match for the funds donated by Congress. They also solicited embassies for gifts to the Center. This small group evolved into the present-day Friends—women and men, representing multiple generations from around the world, who give their time throughout the year.

FriendScript

Find out what the volunteers are up to by reading our monthly newsletter!

Stories

I have been volunteering for 37 joyful years. I remember watching the Gala opening on TV back in 1971, and I was so excited to see such a beautiful building that housed all facets of the arts. I was so moved that I told myself, “One day I am going to work there!” I was only 15 years old but I was determined to make that one of my goals.

Donald Ward

Retail Operations since 1986
It’s surprising to learn from the inside the magnitude of work done by the institution—from the number of theaters, the size of the staff, the number of volunteers, and the outreach to communities not only in the DMV area but all over the nation.

Joanne Urrutia

Administration since 2015
I have been volunteering for more than 12 years. Shortly after my husband and I moved to D.C we attended a performance of Les Misérables. That visit was an exciting experience for us both, and it soon became a place I wanted to visit often. I applied to join the Friends and have loved welcoming visitors to the Center ever since!

Ryan Gallagher

Campus tours since 2012

Volunteer Story: Marilyn Schoon

Marilyn Schoon has been greeting visitors and patrons at the Kennedy Center's information desk since 1972, the year after the Center opened. Watch as she reminisces about her 50+ years as a Friend of the Kennedy Center.

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Stories

It’s surprising to learn from the inside the magnitude of work done by the institution—from the number of theaters, the size of the staff, the number of volunteers, and the outreach to communities not only in the DMV area but all over the nation.

Volunteer Story: Marilyn Schoon