National Volunteer Week: Volunteering with Gilbert Parks & Recreation by Cathy Bartlow
Volunteer role: Field trip guide/docent
Volunteer duties: I lead groups of mostly elementary school children, instructing them about various topics such as Desert and Riparian Habitats, Ethnobotany, and Pollination.
Length of service: After retiring from teaching high school English in Illinois in 2008 and moving to Mesa, I began working with Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve by volunteering at the Feathered Friends Festival in 2010. I trained biology students from Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) to educate participants at seven different booths at the Feathered Friends Festivals in 2011 and 2012. In the fall of 2010 after being trained on all of our topics, I began leading school field trips.
My favorite topics have been groundwater, water cycle, pollination, ethnobotany, and desert/riparian habitats.
My background: During the summers when I was not teaching, I was training teachers through Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s nationally-known Rivers Project and helped write published curriculum. I enjoyed being trained with Project Wet, Project Wild Aquatic, and the Leopold Education Project to develop ways to use science in my high school English classroom. I was granted BA and MLS degrees and was certified to teach K-9 and 6–12. I hold awards from the Central Illinois Groundwater Committee, the Rivers Project, and the Sun Foundation’s Clean Water Celebration.
Favorite part of being a volunteer: I love being outdoors! I love the flexibility of being a volunteer. I love that I am able to put my past training and interests to work in a useful way in retirement.
I am thankful to Gilbert Parks and Recreation for their support of outdoor education. Being able to introduce my friends, neighbors, and two little granddaughters to Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve is an honor.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Gilbert Parks and Recreation, please visit their website or contact Jennifer Lauria at Jennifer.Lauria@gilbertaz.gov.
Like this story? Find out what it’s like to volunteer with Gilbert Fire and Rescue here.
