Obama Presidential Center Seeks Volunteers Ahead of June Opening
Applications are now open for the Obama Presidential Center ‘Ambassadors’ program.
On March 2, a drone flies towards the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Center, still under construction, is slated to open in June. (Getty Images)
With the countdown to the opening of the Obama Presidential Center currently underway, the Obama Foundation Tuesday announced the launch of its new volunteer program dubbed “Ambassadors.”
The public-facing roles will help welcome visitors and create a meaningful experience when the Obama Presidential Center opens in June 2026. The program is currently accepting applications for the first cohort of 75 to 100 volunteers, with the program expected to expand in the future, according to the foundation.
“The Obama Presidential Center is a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation in a press release. “As Ambassadors, they will create a welcoming and inclusive experience for visitors while representing the strength, resilience, and leadership of this community. Together, we are building something that inspires service, connection, and action far beyond our walls.”
With recruitment focused on Chicago residents, the volunteer program is designed to reflect the mission and values of the Obama Foundation. During the program’s initial phase, volunteer “Ambassadors” will greet visitors, provide directional assistance, share information on exhibitions and events and ensure guests feels personally welcomed from the moment they arrive, according to the foundation.
The Ambassadors program reflects former President Obama’s longstanding conviction that the strength of American democracy is rooted in the willingness of its people to serve, help, and work together, the foundation said. Volunteerism has been central to Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side. His presidential campaign mobilized 2.2 million grassroots volunteers, and his administration expanded national service through landmark initiatives including the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and United We Serve. The Obama Foundation Volunteer Program extends that tradition by drawing on the community to serve in the daily life of the center.
Applications for the Obama Foundation Volunteer Program are now available online. Interviews for the inaugural cohort are underway, with the first volunteer training session scheduled for April 2026 ahead of the Center’s soft opening. For more information or to apply, visit obama.org/volunteer.
Calendar
March 11, 18 and 25, 2026
Focus on Human Rights
The New York State Division of Human Rights along with the Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center have launched, Focus on Human Rights: A Three-Part Series, that will analyze the evolution and continued advancement of human rights work in New York State. The series kicks off with webinars on March 11 and March 18. It wraps up with an in-person event on March 25.
The three-part series (two-part webinar and one in-person event) will examine the Division of Human Rights’ modernization efforts, New York State’s protections of human rights under the Human Rights Law, an overview of the Division’s Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, the legacy and impact of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and an in-person panel exploring Eleanor Roosevelt’s leadership in shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that continues to influence human rights work today. Read more
March 13, 2026
Legacy Lecture: Mary Lincoln’s Photograph Album
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a free virtual lecture from noon to 1 p.m. ET by Laura Keyes, librarian and scholar, who will present the history of this personal album, showing attendees which photographs Mary Lincoln preserved and which she chose to leave out, offering a unique glimpse into her life and legacy. Read more
March 14, 2026
Book Launch Event with author Shannon McKenna Schmidt
The Eleanor Roosevelt Center in honor of Women’s History Month presents an in-person, free book talk at 1:30 p.m. ET on March 14, 2026, with author Shannon McKenna Schmidt for her new book You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her. The event will include a presentation by Schmidt, followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing. This event is presented by the Eleanor Roosevelt Center and hosted by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Museum & Library. It will take place at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park in New York. A donation of $10 is appreciated. Read more
March 15, 2026
Tudor Place’s Women’s History Tour
Tudor Place presents a guided tour of the historic house on March 15, 2026, through the eyes of the women who lived and worked here. Descendants of Martha Washington, free and enslaved, blazed trails, overcame tragedy and impacted the growth of Georgetown. Jump start the tour and learn about the amazing women of Tudor Place, including: the longest standing owner, click to learn about Britannia Peter Kennon; or Patty Allen, who was part of Martha Peter’s patrimony upon her marriage to Thomas; or even Blanche Johnson who worked in the house starting around 1920. Read more
March 16, 2026
Pat Nixon Day of Service
To celebrate First Lady Pat Nixon’s 114th Birthday, the Richard Nixon Foundation presents a gathering at the Nixon Library for birthday cake, and a day of family fun—with a purpose.
Throughout her life, First Lady Pat Nixon championed volunteerism and supported worthwhile charitable organizations across the country. Every year on her birthday the Richard Nixon Foundation hosts the Pat Nixon Day of Service, inviting the public to the Nixon Library to learn about and get involved with organizations and charities that Mrs. Nixon championed before, during, and after her tenure as first lady. Programs throughout the day include a wreath-laying ceremony at 10:30 a.m. PT and a special presentation of Pat Nixon’s life with longtime Nixon family-friend Maureen Nunn. Read more
March 26, 2026
America’s First Ladies: Impact and Legacy
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the Truman Library Institute’s annual Women Rising event presents David Von Drehle, New York Times bestselling author and former Washington Post columnist, and internationally recognized author and former chief of staff to Laura Bush, Anita McBride. The event will take place in person and virtually at 6:30 p.m. CT on March 26, 2026. Together, they will explore her groundbreaking research for Remember the First Ladies, in which McBride highlights the women who broke barriers and profoundly shaped presidents, the country and the world. From civil rights to politics, public policy and global diplomacy, first ladies have transformed the “right-hand” role into one of lasting influence—both in public and behind the scenes. Read more
April 4, 2026
Remember the Ladies Family Day
George Washington’s Mount Vernon presents “Remember the Ladies Family Day” on April 4, 2026, from 9 to 4 p.m. Discover the nation’s founding mothers during America’s semiquincentennial and explore the many ways in which women supported the cause of liberty and the Revolutionary War.
Participate in hands-on activities, listen to character interpretations, and see demonstrations that highlight the lives and leadership of women at the home of America’s first First Lady, Martha Washington. Read more
April 10, 2026
Legacy Lecture: On the Road with America’s First Ladies
The National First Ladies Library & Museum presents a virtual program of powerful stories about America’s first ladies with Andrew Och, aka The First Ladies Man. The author of the two-volume series Unusual for Their Time: On the Road With America’s First Ladies highlights the women who shaped the presidency and influenced the course of American history. Read more
April 23, 2026
From Poise to Purpose: Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, and the Changing Role of First Lady
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation presents a birthday event at the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 23, 2026 to honor First Lady Betty Ford, who would be 108 on April 8.
Betty Ford and Pat Nixon shared more than just the first lady position: they also shared a long history of friendship and mutual admiration. Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, will discuss Pat Nixon’s life and times as well as the intertwined fates of Mrs. Nixon and Mrs. Ford, and their contrasting styles as first lady. Read more
Have something to share about America’s first ladies? Please send press releases, announcements and Calendar items to jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.