The Sundre Museum wouldn't operate without its volunteers – all 100 of them – according to museum manager Darlene Smee.
“Without my volunteers I would get nothing done,” said Smee.
“I am the only paid employee and I can't do it all so without those volunteers, no projects would get completed. It's endless – the grass wouldn't get cut, the flowers wouldn't get looked after, the floors wouldn't get swept.”
She currently has regular volunteers working at the museum from Monday to Friday, as well as Sundays, and only has to look for volunteers to work Saturdays. The museum is open seven days a week all year round.
“I feel blessed that I have those volunteers that are willing to do that on a regular basis. It just makes planning so much easier,” she said.
Although there are about 100 people who volunteer for the museum, about 30 of them are active volunteers, she said.
“Some of them, they maybe don't think they do much, but even if it's making cookies, it's still something that helps us to keep going,” she said.
Museum volunteers were treated to a dinner sponsored by the museum last week as an appreciation for their service.
“I do not know how we would do it without volunteers,” she said, adding there is one volunteer who works at the museum three days a week on a regular basis and loves doing it.
Smee has been the manager at the museum for five years and has never had a hard time finding volunteers for the museum, but she is also always looking for more.
Every volunteer has a different talent or something they enjoy doing to help out. For example, she said one volunteer cuts the grass throughout the summer months, and another one makes pies for the other volunteers.
“Volunteers don't get paid. But it's not because they're worthless, it's because they're priceless.”
