Our
volunteers and hosts are encouraged to log their hours online. There
are incentives that are mailed to you once you reach critical hours
documented! Log your hours HERE!
Congratulations
and a great big THANK YOU to those volunteers that have reached the
Over 500 Hour Club. You will receive your note in the mail within the
next few weeks.
I asked Parks and Hosts if they would mind helping to answer questions and provide insight to newer hosts. They were excited to share their stories and first hand experience! I won't pretend to be a professional videographer nor video editor. Similarly, our Hosts shown in the upcoming videos are not actors. They are real life hosts that I recorded at their sites. The volume is a little unbalanced as well. I hope as I continue to meet more and record more o these the quality will increase. With that disclaimer firmly in place, enjoy this new segment of the Volunteer eNews!
A Video Guide to being an Equestrian Host- video linked here.
*Hard Labor Creek, A.H. Stephens, and Watson Mill Bridge State Park have Equestrian Hosts **A very special thank-you to the hosts at Hard Labor Creek for being my first guinea pigs in this new trial.
To Do and To Avoid
A host approached me last month and asked if I could include some Do's and Don'ts when hosting. To continue our section "From the Hosts' Perspective" I give you the first entry that she compiled after polling 5 hosts around the state.
Things to do!
- Treat your volunteer position as you would a
regular job - be on time, be courteous, listen.
- Do the jobs you are assigned.
- If you see something that needs addressed, ask the staff if you can tackle it after your regular duties have been checked off.
Things to avoid doing!
- Don't invade other campground hosts
privacy.
- Don't get up at 6:00 A.M.
and start driving around a cart while taking loudly to your
spouse Other hosts may like to sleep in and some campers certainly
do.
- Avoid sharing your religious/political
viewpoints with other hosts, campground staff, and campers.
- Don't make racist or politically incorrect
comments, our campers are diverse. We welcome all to our beautiful parks.
- Don't impose yourself on campers' activities or
activities held at group shelters. People typically come to the
campground to be with one another or their friends/families.
*Do you have more to offer? Send them to me with Do/Don't in the subject line.
Spotlight from a Camper
"About a couple months ago I camped at Cloudland Canyon on my
bicycle touring trip to the Grand Canyon. This was only two days into my trip
but 41 days later I finally made it to the Grand Canyon. I would like to thank you, Leland and Bambi Harbin, for helping me out at Cloudland Canyon by letting me borrow your drying
rack. In addition, the home made peach ice cream was great as well! I would
also like to thank you for being such great campground hosts as well. Out of
all the campsites I stayed at (probably around 35 or so) Cloudland Canyon was
my most enjoyable camping experience."
Thank you for going above and beyond, Leland and Bambi. You can see the difference in makes in this campers experience!
Volunteers Defined: We love and need them all!
Community Volunteers-Help
on a day-to-day basis at a Park as they are available. Our community
volunteers help with leading hikes, helping with maintenance, assisting
with the visitor or retail center, guide new visitors to park activities
and locations. Those volunteering more than once per month or planning
to volunteer more than 20 hours per year need to update registration.
Hosts (Campground, Yurt, Maintenance, Golf, Train)-Stay
in their personal RV at designated free Host Site for 2-6 months in
exchange for a minimum of 24 hours of volunteer work. Host duties
include: visitor assistance and maintenance. All hosts are required to
update registration to still be considered for hosting.
Group Volunteers-This
is for Churches, Corporations, Scouts and Universities who want a
tailor-made project that will strengthen the group as individuals as
well as a team morale while assisting Georgia State Parks. Only the
group leader will need to be registered in our system.
How are we doing?
In
order for Georgia State Parks to continue to thrive and grow, even in
these lean budget times, we need to get feedback from those that utilize
our services and Parks. As Volunteers and Hosts, you have the same
rights and anonymity in park observations and feedback as our Park
Staff. Please use this quick survey form to share your experiences with us.
Thanks
for reading! Please feel free to share with others. If you need to
contact me, Georgia State Parks Volunteer Coordinator: nyleta.wallace@gadnr.org
As always, thank you for being a steward for Georgia State Parks!
Have a great day!
|
