CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center honored its 575 adult volunteers at a special banquet Wednesday night. The 25th annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet was a celebration of the heart of the Museum Center during National Volunteer Week.
In total, 575 volunteers contributed more than 58,920 hours in various capacities. Those volunteers have served as the smiling faces guests see throughout the museums, the steady hands carefully piecing together prehistoric pottery and dinosaur bones and the captivating tour guides that lead guests on tours through the brewery district and historic homes of Cincinnati.
“We are so fortunate that our volunteers have chosen to share their knowledge, skills and passion with us and with our guests,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Our volunteers are the heart and soul of Cincinnati Museum Center. They are an inspiration to us and to our guests and their impact is felt in everything that the Museum Center does.”
Of the nearly 59,000 hours volunteered in 2015, Barbara Jennings contributed 1,273 of them, earning her the Pinnacle Award for most hours volunteered in a calendar year. Jennings worked for 35 years as a clinical microbiologist but for the past 10 years has volunteered over 11,000 hours to Cincinnati Museum Center as a docent with the Cincinnati Heritage Programs, leading tours through Cincinnati’s historic neighborhoods, sharing the stories of those who have built and defined the city over the past 200 years.
2016 Volunteer Banquet
Jennings was not alone in her commitment to service in 2015; 27 different volunteers each logged more than 400 hours. Altogether, Cincinnati Museum Center’s 575 volunteers contributed more than 58,920 hours which, according to the federal dollar value assigned to volunteer hours, provided nearly $1.4 million worth of service. The dollar value pales in comparison to the true value of those hours.
“I am truly humbled by our volunteers’ dedication, support and commitment to our mission,” says Angie Smorey, director of volunteer & intern services for Cincinnati Museum Center. “Their significant contribution of time and expertise makes an impact on every aspect of our organization and they are an inspiration to so many employees, Members and guests. I am in awe of their accomplishments and feel honored to work with them.”
Bev Hater was recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Award for her more than 4,000 hours of service in the community, including 20 years as a volunteer with Cincinnati Museum Center. The Colerain native is a full time IT Application Analyst for UC Health but devotes her evenings and weekends to special exhibits at Cincinnati Museum Center and special programs like Learning Through Play and the Duke Energy Difference Makers Celebration.
One of the highlights of the evening was the Adamsons. Al and Betty were recognized for 35 years of service, though they have been volunteering with Cincinnati Museum Center since the 1970s, predating Museum Center records. The Norwood couple volunteer together in the Museum Center’s archaeology collection, an outlet for Betty’s passion for archaeology that began as a child collecting spear points and visiting the Museum of Natural History on Gilbert Avenue to learn more about them. In August, Al and Betty will celebrate an even more remarkable milestone: 70 years of marriage.
For more information on how you can become involved in volunteering at Cincinnati Museum Center visit www.cincymuseum.org/volunteer