From four to 400; that’s how many hours a volunteer contributes in a year. Every hour counts …from the single shift at the Festival of Butterflies to the person who comes all day, every week, year-round; volunteers are a vital part of Powell Gardens. In 2012 volunteers spent almost 18,000 hours at Powell Gardens!! So next time you visit, remember that volunteers helped make your day in the Gardens.
Guess what? There’s always room for more. Anyone who would like to volunteer can count on learning about gardening from our expert staff, introducing guests to fresh eating at the Tasting Station, putting a smile on a child’s face at a festival and, most of all, having a great time doing it. At Powell Gardens we like to make it as simple as possible to volunteer. We conduct one short orientation and the rest is on-the-job training. We have a variety of jobs with some set and some flexible schedules.
I would like to introduce you to a couple volunteers on our team.
RD Wood started volunteering after retirement and has become an integral part of our Heartland Harvest Garden. RD helps in the workshop, but also plants, prunes, picks and he’s driven the tram. One day I even saw him ironing! In the last three years he has been one of our top hour contributors with more than 400 hours each year. RD not only works hard, he also keeps us smiling.
Robbie Meyer works full time, but she rarely misses the chance to spread her cheer with guests during our many events at the Gardens. Plus, every-other-Friday on her day off you will find her volunteering in the Gardens. Robbie would be the first to admit she doesn’t always know what she is getting into, but she goes at it with a contagious can-do attitude.
Volunteering with friends or children or grandchildren is a great way to build camaraderie and the Festival of Butterflies is a great place to volunteer. Kids 12 and up are welcome and we still have volunteer opportunities available. Just contact me and we can get you registered; no orientation or experience necessary for this one, but a fun time guaranteed.
Connie Harclerode, Volunteer Coordinator
816 697 2600 x 304