Adopt-A-Program

The Adopt-a-Pond/Road program was started in 2008 and focuses on the care and maintenance of the UCF retention ponds and campus roads. The Adopt-a-Program offers an opportunity for UCF student organizations to gain community service hours by eliminating trash around campus roads and stormwater ponds. Each identified pond or road should be adopted by individuals who will commit to the project dependably. The adoptees must maintain both the shoreline and the vicinity of the pond or road; however, entrance into the pond water or road is prohibited.

If your group/organization is interested in adopting a pond or road, click the button below for the Adopt Application or contact adopt.a.program@ucf.edu with any questions. Once the application is submitted, a representative will follow up through the email address provided in the application. To learn more about the program and understand how to properly fill out the forms, please watch our orientation video below:

We are currently accepting applications to adopt roads and ponds.

Current Volunteers

We provide two types of trash bags: clear/blue bags are designated for recyclable items and black bags are designated for other trash. The bags will then be brought back to the Arboretum Office to be disposed of in the trash and recycling bins behind the pergola that the Adopt-A-Program bin sits under. It is required that adoptees participate twice a month. After two semesters of commitment, a sign will be placed by the pond or road to highlight the individuals’ work. The organization must log the date, time, number of attendees, and number of trash and recycling bags on the Microsoft Form assigned to the group after each clean-up event.

After two full semesters of consistent and recorded clean ups, organizations will have their name posted on a sign in the designated area to showcase its service. One person from each organization must fill out this cleanup form after every clean up completed: Clean Up Form. All volunteers need to fill out the volunteer waiver form just one time for the year: Risk Management Waiver. See images below for which information to include in the forms. If the organization is no longer able to maintain a consistent schedule, the adopted area will be offered to another organization on the waitlist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often must adoptees participate?
A: Adoptees are required to participate in clean-up efforts a minimum of twice a month.

Q: How do organizations log their clean-up activities?
A: Organizations must log the date, time, number, of attendees, and the number of trash and/or recycling bags used after each clean-up event using the designated Microsoft Form.
The form can be found here: Clean Up Form

Q: Are materials provided for clean-up efforts?
A: The program provides two types of trash bags: clear/blue bags for recyclable items and black trash bags for other trash. After the clean-up, the bags must be returned to the Arboretum Office for proper disposal.

Q: What if our organization can no longer maintain a consistent schedule?
A: If an organization no longer wishes to participate, we ask that they reach out to us at adopt.a.program@ucf.edu and let us know. If we notice an organization is not completing their required cleanups we will send a warning. If continued, the adopted area will be offered to another organization on the waitlist.

Q: How do we recognize groups’ commitment to cleaning up ponds or roads?
A: After two full semesters of consistent and recorded clean ups, a sign with the organization’s name will be placed by the adopted pond or road to recognize the organization’s efforts.