A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Volunteers

by Dena Rae Hancock, Executive Director
Chief Advancement Officer, Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples

The volunteers at The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (C’mon) are a priceless ingredient that makes the museum an extra special place for children and families.

National Volunteer Week (April 18-24) is a perfect opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteering in our community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together –even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Meet Kathy Callery. A retired school teacher, she began volunteering at C’mon three years ago. She supports us in many areas, from aiding marketing staff by compiling reports to staffing events like our Jingle Bell Bash or reading to young children in our Little Learners program. She can and has done it all! What she enjoys most about volunteering is watching children discover through play.

“I love watching children discover concepts and be engrossed in learning,” she said.

Kathy’s reach goes beyond the children. Her work impacts our community. It also fills her life with joy.

“I don’t think a day goes by without some one at C’mon saying “thank you”! I always want to say, “No, thank you for the opportunity to be with little ones and have fun!” She continued, “I believe volunteering is vital because maybe a volunteer can make a difference in someone’s life. Perhaps we can make someone smile, help someone to understand something difficult, or give someone confidence.”

STUDENT VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

High school and college students are vital to our volunteer force. From event registration at fundraisers such as Night at the Museum to members of the Women’s FGCU Golf team giving tips and taking shots at our first annual Golf Scramble, C’mon volunteers make a difference.

Volunteering is mutually beneficial to the students as it is to C’mon. Student, Caitlin Coyle, supports the volunteer program at Gulf Coast High School.

“Volunteering helps students learn how to work in a team to get things done and provides them with the tools and information to be professional in formal settings,” Coyle explained.

Coyle believes the partnership between Gulf Coast High School and C’mon is unique because “C’mon is more than a museum, it’s a community of people that get together to help kids develop their creative minds in all kinds of fields.”

VOLUNTEER AND PLAY WITH US

We are committed to sharing the museum with volunteers who want to help us with our mission “to provide an exciting, inspiring environment where children and their families play, learn and dream together.”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at C’mon, please email volunteers@cmon.org. Our vision is to be recognized as a leader among all museums and cultural institutions serving children and families.

We hope you will consider joining our volunteer team and becoming part of our family, sharing some of your time and talents with us. Please join me, our team, and the Board of Directors in a heartfelt thank you to our volunteers.

C’mon enjoys the benefit of almost 150 men, women, and teenagers who volunteer their time across the museum. Collectively, these talented individuals provide hundreds of hours of service per year. Some volunteers are former employees, retired educators, children of employees, or students. Each has different reasons for volunteering, but all share our vision to give children in our community the opportunity to learn, play, and dream.

BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERING

• Volunteering connects you to others.
• Volunteering is good for your mind and body.
• Volunteering can advance your career.
• Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.

Volunteer opportunities at C’mon include:

Art Studio Helper, Marketing and Development, Helper Play, and Learning Partner, Special Events Volunteer, Floor Demonstration Expert, Database Entry, Stitch and Sew Volunteer