Want to give back to the community this holiday and winter season? Become a Snow Angel! In February, the City of Laramie rolled out its new Volunteer Program to allow residents the chance to give back through the City, and the Snow Angels opportunity does just that. 

The goal of the volunteer platform is to open the door for community members to help various City departments, like Code Enforcement, to make Laramie a better, safer place to live. Whether that’s picking up litter and debris around Spring Creek or removing snow on sidewalks as a Snow Angel.

After listening to feedback from community members over the past two winters, the City created the Snow Angels as a volunteer opportunity for residents to assist residents in snow removal. City of Laramie code states that following any accumulation of snow, property owners must clear snow and ice from sidewalks by 10 a.m. the following day. However, people may be unable to shovel their own sidewalks due to age, disability, or physical impairment. In such cases, they often have a family member or neighbor shovel for them, or in other cases, do not clear snow at all, which poses a risk for neighbors emergency services.

“We are thrilled to be offering this opportunity and would welcome all who need assistance this winter to reach out,” says Laramie Management Analyst, Brannen Moan. “If you are someone who would like to help those in our community who may not be able to shovel their properties themselves, your help would be invaluable and we encourage you to register to be a Snow Angel.”

Over the winter of 2023, the City Council made it a priority to create a space where volunteers could help other members of the community shovel snow from sidewalks. Snow removal is the responsibility of property owners, and while the City will clear snow on City property, the sidewalk in front of a resident’s home is their duty. Thus, the Volunteer Program was initiated with Snow Angels as a priority volunteer opportunity.

“The Laramie Commission on Disabilities sees cleared sidewalks as really important for the safety of their community.  Sidewalks that aren’t cleared promptly can become icy and impassable for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, or strollers,” says Erin O’Doherty, Ward 3 Laramie City Councilmember. “Most Laramie citizens are compassionate and like to help each other, so this is a great way to combine the do-gooders with people who need the good done.”

The Volunteer Program allows anyone with the spirit of volunteerism to get involved in the community. The new platform makes it easy to create a free account and see what municipal volunteer opportunities are available in Laramie. Currently, the Volunteer Platform only offers City-related volunteer opportunities, like the Snow Angels. However, in the future the goal is to partner with various non-profits in Laramie and with the University of Wyoming and include their volunteer opportunities on the platform. This will serve as a joint objective with the City to create a volunteer community within Laramie where residents can make a meaningful impact through volunteerism.

Laramie residents can become a Snow Angel by signing up to volunteer at https://www.cityoflaramie.org/1423/Laramie-Volunteer-Program. To see if you qualify for this program to have snow removed, please contact the Code Enforcement Department at 307-721-5285.  Alternatively, you can reach out via email to rsandoval@cityoflaramie.org. Upon contacting Code Enforcement, additional details regarding eligibility and program specifications will be provided.

For questions or to request an interview, contact Owen Schildt at oschildt@cityoflaramie.org.