The Western Development Museum is putting out a call for help.
As the pandemic wanes and more and more and people begin to return to normal lives, business is picking up everywhere. And that includes the local museum, where plans are quickly taking shape for events in the upcoming months.
That’s where a special volunteer blitz took centre stage on Saturday afternoon, as the WDM looked to sign on folks to help out with things as more and more visitors start to come through the doors.
Close to a dozen people ended up taking part in the event, offering a good start when it comes to replenishing the WDM volunteer roster.
“It was great to have this again,” said Karla Rasmussen, education and public programs coordinator for the WDM. “Normally we hold the volunteer blitz in January every year, but we had really paused and suspended our volunteer program over the course of the pandemic because we weren’t doing any programming. We just wanted to play things safe since schools weren’t ready to come back either.”
That programming is quickly returning to full swing, though, as will the school tours now that classes are back in session. And that means plenty of folks will be needed to help out, which is where the volunteer blitz plays a major role.
“We were very enthusiastic to be able to offer this intake again and offer some information to the public,” Rasmussen said. “Sometimes we see some familiar faces, people who were regular visitors and volunteers before, and sometimes we’ll see new folks that maybe didn’t know what was going on at the museum and wanted to know how to get involved. This is a great opportunity for that.”
The WDM didn’t sit idle when it came to their volunteer programs during the pandemic. New software has greatly streamlined the sign-up and scheduling process, and volunteer roles have been refined and improved to be more concise.
“Things like what that role actually involves, how long that shift typically is, if you’ll need to stand or if we can provide an accommodation and things like that,” Rasmussen explained. “All of it will be really useful going forward.”
Rasmussen estimated that the WDM needs between two to 10 volunteers for their events, with that number rising significantly during major shows like Brickspo and Museum Days. Shifts are generally between two and three hours long and depend on individual interests -- folks can sign on for back-of-house duties like stuffing envelopes or preparing crafts, or become tour guides and interpreters in frontline positions.
“We won’t turn anybody away, we’ll find a spot if someone wants to help out, we’re versatile and accommodating and we’d love to have everyone come out and help us,” Rasmussen said.
Anyone looking for more information on volunteering at the Western Development Museum can call (306) 693-5989, send off an e-mail to [email protected] or click on fhe ‘volunteer’ tab at the bottom of their website at www.wdm.ca/moose-jaw/.
