Did you know that our team of volunteers have dedicated over 3,000 hours of community service to KidsQuest 2009 alone?

KidsQuest has strong volunteerism roots starting with our founding board in 1997. Volunteers continue to be a vital part of daily operations at the museum. Aside from our volunteer Board of Directors, volunteers help maintain exhibits, prepare and facilitate arts and crafts activities, assist with office tasks, and enhance the overall experience of our visitors. It's clear to the staff here at KQ how important volunteers are to us, but I wanted to find out just how important KQ is to our volunteers.

Volunteering at KidsQuest has helped youths in our community gain responsibility, patience, work ethic, confidence, poise, self-worth, and the joy that comes with helping those around you. When asked what volunteering means to her, Emily, age 17, responded, "Volunteering first and foremost, means a chance to reach out and give back to my community. It provides me with an opportunity to gain valuable experience working and cooperating as part of a team. It also allows me to work hard to achieve a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, knowing I am benefiting myself while helping others."


I asked some of our veteran volunteers, Vikki, 17 and Carina, 17 (both of whom have been here longer than me!), what they like most about volunteering at KQ and they explained how good they feel when helping a child learn and grow. "When they smile and laugh because of something that I showed them or something that I did, that's the best part!" said Vikki.

Although I myself am not volunteering, I feel the same sense of fulfillment knowing that I am part of an organization that is benefiting members of our community of all ages. As the Volunteer Coordinator I've had the pleasure of watching our youth volunteers grow and mature over their time here. I am grateful to be contributing to who they choose to become, and I am proud to call many of them my friends.