Trich Zaitoon, one of Fossil Rim’s longest tenured volunteers

Voice of the Volunteers:
Meet Trich Zaitoon

I laugh when I think how we would tour people in just about any vehicle that would make it up our hills. I remember all the changes that have occurred. I remember the friends that have come and gone, both two-legged and four-legged. It suddenly dawned on me that my passion for Fossil Rim is purely for selfish reasons. Quite frankly, I like how Fossil Rim makes me feel.

The people in every department at Fossil Rim, whether from 1984 to present, have made a difference in my life. When you work or volunteer at Fossil Rim the universal message you receive from this place is that everyone can make a difference. To have the opportunity to talk about our endangered species programs and realize that Fossil Rim is making a difference in that species is inspiring. You see Fossil Rim made me realize that I make a difference. I have an opportunity to educate the people who come to Fossil Rim about conservation and preservation. I have an opportunity to plant a seed of passion for someone to make a difference. I have at least 12 people on a vehicle that cannot get out of it until they hear me planting my seeds. The most important seed that I want to plant is that every single person can make a difference in this world.

I just returned from a trip to Botswana and, interestingly enough, the tour guides say the same things that we say about making a difference. With Fossil Rim being just a bit closer for most of us, it affords us the opportunity to observe and learn about animals from all over the world.

Come volunteer at Fossil Rim and you can make a difference in this world, but be careful, the difference that you make may be within your own self. You will like how Fossil Rim makes you feel.