Education Corner:
Spotlight on Volunteerism

Some of us work toward educating the public about the animals and their fight for survival. Some of us help take care of the animals themselves. And still others volunteer their time and hard work to free up staff members so they can do other jobs that need to be done. That, I think, is one of the more noble jobs here at Fossil Rim. We have a small staff and we could not meet all of our daily obligations without our volunteers.

To be a volunteer in this day and time is a challenge in itself. Trying to juggle volunteer hours with family time is not an easy task for most. The price of gas has made volunteering an expensive venture for a lot of people and has put some out of the volunteer game all together. The IRS does give tax deductions for volunteering for non-profits, but that is sometimes not incentive enough. People have to be dedicated to giving of themselves and sometimes of their pocketbooks. Sadly, that is the bottom line of volunteerism. Fossil Rim has been very fortunate in the fact that, for the most part, the individuals who have come out to volunteer have loved it enough to stick with us through think, thin, and high gas prices.

Every person wants and expects something different from their volunteer experience. Some people want to remain in the background and work away from the public eye. We have some volunteers who come out and work on special projects such as gardening and landscaping. That is their passion and we let them indulge. With over 1,800 acres, we do have a few plants here that need tending. We have some volunteers who love children and, of course, animals, so we let them indulge both loves. They are the ones who work at the Children’s Animal Center. We have goats, tortoises, birds, and emus, and of course, lots of children. That, my friend, is paradise to some and we let those volunteers soak up the paradise as often as they can.

Some people want to work with the public and educate them about the fight for survival that affects so many different species on this planet. They are the ones who are our Docents. A Docent is a volunteer who has been trained to give tours to the public. We have several different tours available here and our Docents can give them all. It is so rewarding to take out a group and be able to open their eyes to the animals that we have here and how many are endangered and in need of help. Some of our volunteers educate the public in other ways such as assisting with Education programs. Some of these programs include homeschool programs, special events, outreach activities, camps, classes and helping pass out literature at community events.

Our volunteers get rewarded in many ways here at Fossil Rim. September 29th was our annual Volunteer Retreat. This was a day when Fossil Rim staff showed their appreciation to the volunteers for all their hard work throughout the year. The day was filled with discussions, guest speakers, gifts, and an Awards Luncheon. All of the volunteers received a Certificate of Appreciation and a car pass. Awards were then given to volunteers according to their volunteer hours from the past 12 months. Awards included a free night’s stay at Safari Camp with dinner and a tour, a night’s stay at the Lodge with a tour, a Behind the Scenes Tour for 10, and gift certificates. All of the volunteers who had over 100 volunteer hours for the year also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Fossil Rim had two volunteers who qualified for the Gold Award, which requires 500+ volunteer hours. Two volunteers received the Silver Award, which requires 250 to 499 volunteer hours. Seventeen volunteers received the Bronze Award, which requires 100 to 249 volunteer hours. These recipients received a certificate, a letter signed by the President of the United States, and a lapel pin.

Fossil Rim would not be the organization it is today without the continued dedication of our volunteers and docents. They make it possible for us to indulge in our passion as often as we can.