Cornell Cooperative Extension

Tompkins County
Volunteers at Aurora Triangle
Image by Janine Willis

Beautification volunteers and staff weeding at Aurora Triangle

Beautification staff and volunteers work at rotary
Image by Janine Willis

Beautification volunteers and staff work at the Rotary

Beautification Volunteers
Image by Janine Willis

Beautification Staff and Volunteers at Van Horn Park

Volunteers working in the CU greenhouse
Image by Janine Willis

Volunteers working at CU Greenhouses

Alpha Phi Omega Student Volunteers at Sign Triangle
Image by Janine Willis

Student volunteers at Sign Triangle

Beautification Brigade

The Beautification Brigade runs volunteer sessions from April-November. Join anytime, no experience necessary!

Volunteers with the Tompkins County Community Beautification Program are called the "Beautification Brigade." They help to make Ithaca more beautiful while learning useful gardening tips and techniques. The Brigade plants and maintains spring and summer flowers on city traffic medians and the Ithaca Commons. 

Weekly work sessions are generally held on either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday with occasional weekend dates. A weekly email lets the volunteers know where the work sessions will be. To be added to our email list, please email us at beautification@cornell.edu.

Clubs, service groups, schools, fraternities and sororities are all welcome to volunteer! There are a wide variety of gardening and landscaping projects in Ithaca that can use YOUR HELP! We need the most help during May and June for planting, and again in October and November for clean-up. If you'd like to help out, please be in touch with us. 

The volunteer job description is viewable here. To get in touch with us about volunteering, email us at beautification@cornell.edu.

All CCE volunteers will be asked to consent to a criminal background screening at Cooperative Extension's expense, as a means of ensuring the safety and security both of our volunteers and of the people we serve through our programs. 

Our annual orientation meetings have been scheduled for March, for more information please visit our event page.

See left for the steps to enroll as a volunteer!

Contact

Janine Willis
Community Beautification Coordinator
beautification@cornell.edu
(607) 272-2292

Last updated May 1, 2025

Community Beautification

Application Forms: Follow the steps below to join us!

STEP 1: Indicate your interest in the Beautification Brigade by emailing us at beautification@cornell.edu.

STEP 2: Fill out the volunteer enrollment materials. Please note that the forms will be filled out online through Adobe Sign, and you will provide an electronic signature. The forms will be transmitted to CCE securely. If you have questions about this process, or need assistance, please contact us. Paper forms will also be available at volunteer sessions.

For New Volunteers:

  1. Casual Volunteer Application Form (indicate Beautification Brigade in the Agriculture/Horticulture Program Name)
  2. Screening Consent form

For Re-Enrolling Volunteers:

  1. Re-Enrollment Form
  2. You may be asked to fill out the Screening Consent form if it is not already on file. We'll let you know!

STEP 3: Please visit the CCE Sexual Harassment Prevention Training page and follow the instructions to view the 10-minute video and confirm your participation.

Events

See more

Where are the Beautification Sites?

2017 map of Community Beautification sites in Ithaca NY

DOWNLOAD A MAP of Community Beautification planting sites in Ithaca, NY