Each month, MNHC chooses one of our great volunteers for the Volunteer of the Month award. These volunteers have given particular time or effort, and it’s always hard to narrow it down to just one person. We want to say a big THANK YOU to these and all of the other wonderful people who have given so much of their energy and enthusiasm to MNHC!
January 2012:
December 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Shermy Bremer
Shermy Bremer is MNHC’s newest volunteer librarian, who for the past several months has been helping her husband John in keeping the Ralph Lee Allen Environmental Education Library in good order. Together they have inventoried the children’s books, cleaned and reorganized the library space, processed new books, and kept the book check-out and check-in system running smoothly. Shermy and John come in for several hours each week to manage this resource, and we so appreciate Shermy’s willingness to be our second volunteer librarian. (By the way, all of our volunteers are welcome to check books out of the library! We have field guides, nature essays, and books on topics from geology to botany to oceanology. Check them out!) Thank you, Shermy!
November 2011:
Volunteers of the Month: Caitlin Gray & Laura Machial
October always brings us a number of fantastic volunteers, whether they’re helping with the auction or leading field trips. This month, we’d like to honor two of our newest volunteers who eagerly gave of their time and energy during one of our busiest seasons. Caitlin started volunteering at the end of September, just in time for field trips, and responded more than once to last-minute calls for help. She also contacted me several times throughout the month to inquire what days we still needed volunteers, and cheerfully signed up to lead stations. Laura happened to walk into MNHC the day of our auction volunteer training, and agreed immediately to both assist with our auction and get involved with field trips, helping in both capacities with smiling good cheer and enthusiasm. We are so grateful to have both of these wonderful women volunteering with MNHC! Thank you, Laura and Caitlin!
October 2011:
Volunteers of the Month: The Ruby-Keast Family: Bob, Dianne, and Sparrow
This month we are honoring an entire family who has been volunteering at MNHC for several months now. Dianne and daughter Sparrow began volunteering in the spring, assisting with Saturday Kids’ Activities, native plant garden programs, and silent auction solicitations. Whenever she came across a business that was not on our silent auction list, Dianne immediately asked the owners if they would be willing to donate an item or gift certificate for our auction, resulting in a wide variety of amazing packages for our silent auction. Bob (or “Sparrow’s dad,” as he sometimes introduces himself), has been incredibly helpful in navigating recent MNHC computer challenges and assisting us in streamlining our not-so-streamlined tech systems. Bob, Dianne, and Sparrow are also getting involved in our VNS program this fall, assisting our staff with classroom visits as well as leading field trip stations. We are so grateful to have this very special family giving their time and talents to MNHC! Thank you, Bob, Dianne, and Sparrow!
September 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Hank Fischer
Hank has been MNHC’s Board President for many years now, and works tirelessly to keep MNHC well-funded and running smoothly so that we can continue to provide exciting, educational programs about nature for the community. Hank dreams up brilliant ideas for Explorers Club outings, garners amazing live auction items for our annual fundraiser, uses his writing talents to promote MNHC and its programs, and gives selflessly of his time, energy, and creativity in so many other ways we can’t even begin to list them all. Thank you, Hank!
August 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Tim Yakubowski
Tim is one of MNHC’s brand-new volunteers, and already he has been invaluable. Interested in giving kids the same great experience he had with summer camps as a child, he has been assisting our staff in teaching our K-1st grade camps. He’s proven to be wonderfully talented in interacting with a dozen or more 5 and 6 year olds, both patient and enthusiastic as he teaches them about nature. We so appreciate Tim’s help during our busy summer camp season! Thank you, Tim!
July 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Jodi Domsky
Jodi is our Summer Camp Intern this year, and has jumped into the job with enthusiasm. She not only tables for us at the Farmer’s Market, helps check in kids on the first day of camp, and entertains the camp kids during camp staff meetings, but she is also leading our K-1st grade camps this summer, as well as the miniNaturalist programs at the Native Plant Garden. She’s wonderful with kids, both patient and energetic, and we so appreciate her excitement and willingness to teach young people about nature. Thank you, Jodi!
June 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Drew Fetherolf
Drew is a former MCC crew member, and has been volunteering with MNHC since February. Like so many of our volunteers, he jumped right in, assisting in VNS classrooms, helping with our after-school program, and, most recently, leading stations on our VNS field trips. Drew is a willing and enthusiastic volunteer, and has great fun teaching kids about their world–sharing his knowledge in such a way that the kids can’t help but be excited, too. Thank you, Drew!
May 2011:
Volunteers of the Month: Katie Arledge & Katy Morrison
Katie and Katy have been MNHC’s Campus Corps interns for the 2010-2011 school year. Since September they’ve been helping us in so many ways: assisting in our VNS classrooms, leading VNS field trips, developing curriculum, teaching Saturday Kids’ Activities, inventorying traveling trunks, assisting with Field Notes, working with our after-school programs, tabling at community events, and simply being willing to jump in and help whenever and wherever needed. Katy will be with us this summer, working as one of our summer camp staff, and Katie will be heading to Colorado, where she’ll be doing restoration work. Thank you, Katie & Katy!
April 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Will Genadek
Will is one of our newest volunteers, but his help during his brief time with MNHC has been invaluable. Will began volunteering with us in February, and has been a dedicated and enthusiastic assistant with a number of our VNS classes– doing everything from teaching kids about bird wings to helping them write nature poetry. We so appreciate Will’s energy and interest in teaching kids about nature. Thank you, Will!
March 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Vija Pelekis
Vija is one of our newer volunteers, and has been volunteering with MNHC since this past October, when she jumped right in to help with a number of our VNS field trips. Since then, she’s continued to be involved with VNS, helping out with several classroom visits per month, as well as tabling at special events such as the UM Volunteer Fair. We so appreciate Vija’s infectious enthusiasm and her passion for teaching kids about nature! Thank you, Vija!
February 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: John Bremer
John has been involved with MNHC for several years now, as a member, a Master Naturalist, and a Nature Adventure Garden volunteer. More recently, however, he has also taken on the task of Volunteer Librarian, assisting MNHC’s long-time librarian, Minie Smith, with the Ralph Lee Allen Environmental Education Library. For the past several months he has dedicated several hours per week to inventorying our library materials and brainstorming ways to improve this resource. We so appreciate his cheerfulness and organizational skills, and look forward to his weekly volunteer visits! Thank you, John!
January 2011:
Volunteer of the Month: Kevin Ewing
Kevin has been volunteering with MNHC for almost a year, assisting our staff naturalists in 4th grade classrooms as well as leading stations on our VNS field trips. We love having Kevin show up for field trips, binoculars in hand, eager to teach a group of kids about the natural world. He’s one of those great volunteers who calls us up a couple of times a month to let us know he has some free time and would love to help out. We so appreciate Kevin’s dedication to the Target Range and Frenchtown classes this year, as well as his ever-present enthusiasm for teaching kids about nature. Thank you, Kevin!
December 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Ashley Sherburne
Ashley, an avid naturalist who is currently working toward her master’s in Curriculum & Instruction at UM, began volunteering with MNHC this September. She jumped right in by assisting in VNS classrooms and leading VNS field trips in October, and is always eager to help out where needed. We so appreciate her enthusiasm and dedication to teaching kids about nature. Thank you, Ashley!
November 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Rebecca Smith
Rebecca completed the Montana Master Naturalist course in the spring of 2009, and has been an active volunteer with our VNS field trips ever since. She commits to leading stations on several of our full-day field trips in both spring and fall, and we are so grateful for the energy, cheerfulness, and wonder for the natural world that she shares with our VNS students. Thank you, Rebecca!
October 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Ann Stevenson
Ann has been volunteering at MNHC since the spring of 2009. She jumped right in and has been involved in a number of different programs–Saturday Kids’ Activities, VNS classroom visits and field trips, tabling at various events, and, most recently, our annual banquet and auction, to which she gave a great deal of time and energy. We are so grateful for Ann’s generous giving of her time, as well as her enthusiasm, commitment, and smiling presence in all she does. Thank you, Ann!
September 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Tom Roy
Tom has been volunteering with MNHC since the spring of 2009, when he and his wife, Sue, completed the Montana Master Naturalist Course. In the past year and a half, Tom has been an integral part of our VNS program, assisting in several different schools, both inside the classroom and outdoors on field trips. Tom has also tabled at Osprey games, helped inventory our Traveling Trunks, and provided valuable feedback on the VNS curriculum. We are so grateful for the many years of environmental education experience he brings to us–not to mention his energy, sense of humor, and great stories. Thank you, Tom!
August 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Sara Mintz
Sara has been volunteering with MNHC since the spring of 2009, when she completed the Montana Master Naturalist Course. She jumped right in and, despite being busy with school, she has found the time to volunteer in a number of different ways: participating in our VNS program, helping with set up at our Evening Lecture series, tabling at Osprey games, and assisting with our Annual Banquet & Auction preparations. We so appreciate her willingness to help out with so many of our programs. Thank you, Sara!
July 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Vicki Cox
Vicki is one of our new Master Naturalist volunteers. She successfully completed the course this spring, and has already been an active volunteer at MNHC these past couple of months, assisting with everything from our May VNS field trips to our spring after-school program to teaching insect and osprey lessons to large groups of 1st graders during Center Visits. She’s been willing to jump in and help out even at the last minute, and we so appreciate her knowledge, energy, and infectious enthusiasm. Thank you, Vicki!
June 2010:
Volunteers of the Month: Mackenzie Flahive-Foro and Michael Krug, MNHC Interns
This month we would like to honor this year’s interns, Mackenzie and Mike. They have been with us since last fall, and have done everything from leading field trip stations to developing curriculum, creating seasonal displays for the Kids’ Discovery Room, assisting with VNS classroom visits, organizing files, running kids’ activities, tabling at events, and, in general, helping out wherever (and whenever) they are needed. We so appreciate the time and effort they have given to MNHC! Mackenzie just graduated from UM with a degree in Recreation Management, and is currently doing seasonal work with the Forest Service. Mike has completed his first year as a Master’s student in the Environmental Studies Program, and will be working in Glacier National Park this summer. Thank you, Mike and Mackenzie!
May 2010:
Volunteers of the Month: Montana Conservation Corps Crew Leaders
This spring we have had the privilege of collaborating with a great group of MCC folks: Chris Miller-McLemore, Martha Knox, Jesse Bergeson, Harry Stone, and Val Hingston. These five crew leaders have been volunteering with us for the past month, doing everything from helping in our VNS classrooms to running after-school programs and assisting with our fire ecology and VNS field trips. And when one of our staff was injured this past month, the MCC crew jumped in to lead programs and fill the gap. This month they’ll continue their involvement by leading stations on our VNS field trips, helping our students end the school year with a great day in the outdoors. Thank you, Chris, Martha, Jesse, Harry, and Val!
April 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Lance Schelvan
Lance Schelvan is a recent addition to the MNHC Board, and has jumped right in with his innovative ideas, vitalizing visions, and helping hands. A talented photographer and writer, he has donated some beautiful photographs for us to use as signs and in our exhibit area. He also takes pictures of our programs—summer camps, kids’ activities, VNS field trips—for us to use in our flyers, brochures, and on our website. He is working with staff and board members to create a new “look” for MNHC, both indoors and outdoors—stay tuned for future changes! We so appreciate Lance’s vision, enthusiasm, and willingness to get involved and get things done! Thank you, Lance!
March 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Carolyn Hart
Carolyn has been volunteering for MNHC for more than a year, and has given her time in many ways, from leading stations at the Watershed Festival to helping out with our VNS field trips. She has been dedicated to volunteering with our VNS program, assisting in five classrooms in the Arlee, Hellgate, and Florence elementary schools every month this school year. We love seeing Carolyn at every VNS volunteer training, and we’re grateful for her constant willingness to help out in even more classrooms if needed. We so appreciate her involvement at MNHC. Thank you, Carolyn!
February 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Sue Roy
Sue Roy is involved with MNHC on numerous levels, and we appreciate every one! She has been a dedicated board member since March 2006, and last spring she and her husband Tom participated in the Montana Master Naturalist Course to become certified Master Naturalists. This past fall, Sue jumped in to help with the VNS program. It’s exciting when our board members get to see first-hand how our programs are run! Sue led stations on several of our October field trips, going as far afield as the Schroeder Ranch and the Bison Range, and has also devoted her time to 3-5 classroom visits each month. She’s been willing to fill in when we need extra help, and we’ve so enjoyed seeing her cheerful smile and enthusiasm at trainings, in the classroom, and out in the field. Thank you, Sue!
January 2010:
Volunteer of the Month: Minie Smith
Minie Smith, MNHC’s volunteer librarian, has been a behind-the-scenes yet integral part of MNHC for many years. Since the inception of the Ralph Lee Allen Educational Library, she has been tackling its organization, stocking, and updating, spending countless hours working quietly and faithfully on this growing resource. She loves the natural world, and loves helping others learn more about it and enjoy it. Minie has spent valuable time over the years incorporating donated collections into our library, constantly adding depth and variety to the resources available to staff, members, and volunteers. MNHC uses resources from the library for summer camps, in developing curriculum, and for research, and we so appreciate Minie’s years with us as Volunteer Librarian. Thank you, Minie!
December 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Valerie Bayer
Valerie first got involved with MNHC by taking the Master Naturalist class this past spring, and has been helping out with various programs ever since. Master Naturalists have to volunteer 40 hours/year to keep their certification; Valerie has already given more than 80 hours of her time. She spent several summer evenings tabling at Osprey games and other special events. This fall, Valerie has been very much involved with our Visiting Naturalist Program, leading stations on several of our October field trips and assisting with monthly classroom visits in Alberton, St. Ignatius, and Missoula. She is always willing to step in and give of her time to MNHC, and we are so very grateful. Thank you, Valerie!
November 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Rod Snyder
Rod Snyder has been volunteering with our Visiting Naturalist in the Schools Program for more than three years. A retired science teacher, he is now owner of the Subway in the Southgate Mall, and still finds time to dedicate himself to teaching budding naturalists about the natural world. In the past he has faithfully assisted our staff in classrooms in the Hawthorne, Sussex, Franklin, and Potomac schools. This year he is assisting our staff naturalists even more by taking over the teaching in two of our VNS classrooms, as well as giving generously of his time on several of our October field trips. He’s even recruited his son Nathaniel to help out with VNS! But he doesn’t only give of his time and teaching talents—he also occasionally donates Subway sandwiches for MNHC events, and this, too, we very much appreciate. Thank you, Rod!
October 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Mindy Goldberg
Mindy has served on the MNHC board for several years and is currently the Board Secretary. She worked tirelessly on the preparations for our 2009 Annual Banquet and Auction—soliciting donations, organizing auction items, amassing volunteers, and even delving into her closet to provide stylish black dresses for the MNHC staff ladies to wear. J This past month we’ve been privileged to see her wonderful smile and hear her cheerful voice nearly every day! She has also assisted in the production of an MNHC promotional video, attended VNS training sessions as preparation for helping out in 4th-grade classrooms, and generously allowed our VNS program to run field trips on her property. For all this and so much more we are deeply grateful. Thank you, Mindy!
September 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Christine Wren
Christine is one of MNHC’s most active volunteers, and we are so grateful for the experience and enthusiasm this retired teacher brings to us! For the past year and a half, she has been a lead VNS instructor for two classrooms at Lolo Elementary. She helped MNHC Naturalist Brian Williams to improve and design the VNS curriculum, including creating kid-friendly bird field guides. Besides her dedicated involvement in the classroom, she also gives very generously of her time to VNS field trips, the Watershed Festival, Field Notes and tabling for special events. Thank you, Christine!
August 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Joel Shechter
Joel began volunteering with us this spring, assisting our Visiting Naturalist in the Schools program. This summer, he has been donating his time and video-producing skills to film our summer camps, working with board member Mindy Goldberg to create a promotional video for our youth programs. We so appreciate his energy and flexibility, as well as his commitment to MNHC and to our greater cause—getting kids outdoors! Thank you, Joel!
July 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Gary Graham
Gary is one of our Visiting Naturalist field trip instructors, and he has given many hours to our VNS field trips in the springs of 2008 and 2009. This past May, he led stations on 10 of our field trips, teaching hundreds of children about the natural world. His boundless enthusiasm and willingness to teach kids in all kinds of weather make him an invaluable member of our volunteer corps, and he is well loved by all the children with whom he shares his delight for the natural world. Thank you, Gary!
June 2009:
Volunteer of the Month: Lane Reul
Lane has been volunteering for MNHC since 2005. He does great work constructing and maintaining our exhibits—and many other ‘handyman’ tasks that we need done. He is always looking for new ways to use his creativity and woodworking talents for MNHC, and we so appreciate him giving his time and energy to make MNHC an even better place. Thank you, Lane!
