VOC Crew Leader: Karen Phillips
Alex Schupp • July 17, 2016
VOC Crew Leader: Karen Phillips
VOC likes to regularly highlight our many amazing volunteer leaders so that we can share with their backstory and all the inspiring work they do to care for Colorado's outdoors. Here, we'd like to put Ccrew Leader, Karen Phillips, in the spotlight!
Karen first heard about VOC during her two years as a member of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program, where she served on multiple projects doing environmental stewardship and trail work. After completing AmeriCorps NCCC and moving to Colorado, she volunteered on her first VOC trail project in the summer of 2013.
"AmeriCorps NCCC introduced me to the importance of environmental stewardship, and volunteering with VOC each summer since has helped me continue to build my passion for protecting Colorado's wonderful natural resources," said Karen.
In 2015, after volunteering with VOC for two years, Karen decided that she wanted to challenge herself and take on more of a leadership role. She signed up for the Crew Leader training and became a Crew Leader at the end of last summer!
Karen is a full time staff member with AmeriCorps NCCC. She loves biking around Denver, hiking, camping, and exploring all of the beauty and adventure that Colorado has to offer.
Interested in learning more about VOC volunteer leadership or becoming a crew chef or leader? Click here!

After three meaningful decades, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) will be saying goodbye to our longtime home at the Dos Chappell Bathhouse in Denver's beloved Washington Park. In the early 1990s, VOC signed a 30-year lease with the City of Denver to transform the historic bathhouse in Washington Park into a headquarters that could support our growing mission. With generous support from our community, we launched a capital campaign and raised $700,000 to complete the initial renovations, which were finalized in 1996. Altogether, including the original renovations, VOC has invested more than $1 million in improvements and ongoing maintenance, creating a space that is enjoyed by our staff, volunteers, and the broader Washington Park community. In 2000, the building was renamed in honor of Dos Chappell, VOC’s former Executive Director (1988–1999), whose vision and leadership left a lasting legacy on our organization and Colorado’s outdoor stewardship movement. This space has been more than just an office—it’s been a gathering place, a launchpad for thousands of volunteers, and a visible symbol of our commitment to caring for Colorado.