It’s National Volunteer Appreciation Week and the prefect time to talk about those people in the museum that make such an impact on staff, visitors and the community: our volunteers.

Every year, the museum dedicates this week to honoring volunteers for the hours they dedicate to natural history, to servicing the community and providing personal knowledge, assistance and experience to our visitors and staff.

In 2011, 161 volunteers dedicated 16,291 hours to the museum through their work as docents, with children in the Discovery Room or with staff behind the scenes.

We honored our volunteers at a reception this week, highlighting a particular volunteer who represented the volunteer core as a whole. He exemplified what it means to be a museum volunteer, serving for almost 12 years donating more than 3,100 hours to the museum. For that, Michael Laing received the 2012 Tom Siegenthaler Volunteer of the Year Award.

I am proud to know Michael and more important, thrilled that he represents a part of the museum that touches our visitors and staff alike. If you are interested in becoming a part of our museum, visit our website and browse the opportunities! (Click here)