How many ways would a volunteer volunteer if a volunteer could volunteer in every way?

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone whose life was not impacted greatly by the pandemic over the last year-and-a-half. So many of the things we spend our lives taking for granted were suddenly either out of reach, or very close to it. For the Smithsonian, the most obvious temporary loss was access to the museums that we care for and spend so much time serving. Many paid staff were blessed with the opportunity to continue their work from home. But what about those who serve the Smithsonian, not for salary, but for the intangible rewards that their work brings to them, and to the institution and the people it serves? What about our volunteers? 

Many Smithsonian volunteers found ways to serve in places other than the Smithsonian. For some, it was volunteer work that they had always done and were able to continue during the pandemic. For others, they found new opportunities to fill the temporary void. Meet four such volunteers for whom the pandemic was no obstacle to their call to serve.

Debbie Devan has been a docent at the Smithsonian Castle for 5 years now. During the pandemic, she volunteered for the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, which gives free legal services to income qualified people in civil cases. Most notably, Debbie assisted over 250 people, many of whom were tenants who were being sued by their landlord for past-due rent. She helped get those cases either thrown out or settled more fairly. For Debbie, volunteering gives her a lot of happiness. She enjoys helping people, and she believes in the importance of using one’s gifts to help others. She looks forward to coming back to the Castle, while always serving others with pro bono legal services whenever she can.

Another volunteer shared a similar sentiment when asked about why he volunteers.

Bill Ulman and his wife have been Smithsonian Associates volunteers for 40 years – and they look forward to more good years of in-person events. Bill has helped host hundreds of bus tours for the Associates during his time with the program. “Volunteering is an important way for us to ‘give back’ to the community. In many ways, we’ve been fortunate over the years – and this is a great way for us to share the time and skills that we have, with others.”

Bill has also been a volunteer with Travelers Aid at Dulles Airport since 2002. He typically serves a 3-4 hour shift, three times a week.  During the first few months of the pandemic, when airport traffic plummeted, he continued going to Dulles once a week, helping the Travelers Aid staff get things re-organized at locations normally staffed around the airport. More recently, he is back to a full schedule at Dulles serving at an information desk; or helping with traffic flow inside International Arrivals; or helping connecting passengers in one of the concourses.

Other volunteers found work directly related to the fight against COVID-19.

A retired Smithsonian employee, Kathleen Brewster had only been volunteering at the information desk at the Renwick Gallery for about a year when the pandemic hit. Kathleen enjoys meeting new people, learning new skills, and generally staying busy.

When COVID-19 hit, she had already spent about 10 years volunteering in Arlington for the Medical Reserve Corp. For a decade, she typically volunteered with them once a month at a school food store, and once a year at a vaccination clinic.

“When the pandemic started, I saw that John’s Hopkins was offering a free course for contact tracers and then I started the contact tracing in July 2020. I worked from home two days a week from last July through this past February in the Active Monitoring team of contact tracing. After COVID-positive individuals were interviewed by the Risk Management Team, we were assigned a list of people in isolation or quarantine to call. We filled in a symptom questionnaire, referred them to assistance if needed, and answered questions. Arlington Public Health called each person every day until they were released.  In March, I started working at the vaccination clinic, as the contact tracing needs had decreased so much. I worked there for a month until the clinic closed.” Like so many others, the end of the pandemic will not mean the end of the service Kathy provides to the Medical Reserve Corp.

Then there are those volunteers who managed to find opportunities both away from AND within the Smithsonian!

Henry Baez has been volunteering at the Smithsonian in one capacity or another since 2014. He has helped with Associates programs, Ocean Hall at Natural History, and in more recent years, the information desk program at American History. His dedication to helping others is simply stated: “I feel like as long as I can, I should provide service to others”.

In May of 2020, Henry started volunteering for the Capital Area Food Bank and eventually added on time with the Meals on Wheels team of Takoma/Silver Spring. Henry’s work with Meals on Wheels involves food prep such as peeling, filling small containers, and preparing them for delivery. He also assists in cleaning and washing items that the team uses in the kitchen.

Henry has also found his way to an early return to the Smithsonian! He serves as a Live Remote Assistant with American History. Henry looks forward to physically returning to both the American and Natural History museums, as well as continuing his service with Meals on Wheels. 

We can’t wait to welcome Debbie, Bill, Kathleen and Henry back to their onsite volunteer roles at the Smithsonian, when we’re able to do so safely. They represent not even a fraction of the selfless Smithsonian volunteers who answer the call to serve, no matter where that call may come from.

Related posts:

Office of Protection Services has a new director ICYMI: Highlights from the week of April 4 – April 8, 2022 Volunteer Spotlight: Diane Wapner The Strength of the Smithsonian: Results of the Volunteer Survey