Success Stories About
Volunteers
- The following article
is reprinted from the June 23, 2006 issue of the “Mobile Weekly,”
a publication of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.
Explore Mobile District
by Marilyn Phipps
Have you been to a
district recreation project yet?
Each
fall, thousand of school children dread writing the requisite “How I Spent
My Summer Vacation” theme. “How I spent Memorial Day Weekend 2006” was far
more interesting and fun than a long, hot summer in South Texas.
Volunteering at Holt Lake!
Yep, I took those three precious days of freedom from the office and spent
them outside in 90 degree plus temperatures promoting water safety at Holt
Lake near Tuscaloosa. It was all the fun and none of the responsibility that
the park rangers face daily. Plus the free campsite was fantastic.
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The antique 27-foot GMC motor home is dwarfed by the
spacious, scenic campsite at Deerlick Creek Park on Holt Lake. The
campsite was provided in exchange for working 4 hours each day
promoting water safety to fellow campers and at the project’s two boat
ramps. (Photo by Marilyn Phipps) |
Saturday volunteer time was easier than selling Girl Scout cookies. Armed
with water safety items, my husband, Tom, and I stopped at each site to
invite the campers to a special evening ranger presentation at the
amphitheater. The social gathering would feature a cartoon for the children
and the fatal vision goggles experience for the teens and adults. The
Frisbees® went to all the children, teens and dogs as a friendly reminder of
the 7 p.m. events.
Holt Lake Park Ranger Mark Meador was waiting for the visitors that evening.
He started the evening entertainment with a Bobber the Water Safety Dog
cartoon. Then he followed it with a succinct water safety discussion, then
he let audience participants try the and sober adults.
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Holt Lake Park Ranger
Mark Meador stands ready to protect his computer equipment as a
18-year old visitor prepares to toss the safety rescue line while
wearing fatal vision goggles during the Memorial Day weekend water
safety presentation at the amphitheater Saturday evening.
(Photo by Marilyn Phipps) |
Each morning started off pleasantly with a causal breakfast outdoors and a
couple hours of relaxing or hiking. Midmorning, Park Rangers Mark Meador and
Justin Sexton would arrived to guide us to our volunteer site. They would
help set up the display, which included various styles of life jackets,
required rescue seat cushion or life ring tosses and a table filled with
water safety promotional items.
Sunday we worked at the Rock Quarry boat launch ramp and set up the sun
shelter on a small grass island in the parking lot. It was a prime location
directly in front of the ramp. The shady oasis was the first thing drivers
saw as they prepared to back down the ramp. The big plus for the two
volunteers, we did not have to walk far to talk to the boaters preparing
their vessels to launch.
Tom and I talked to about 90 people in the 4 hours we spent at Rock Quarry.
The launch point guests left with water safety promotional items such a
football or Frisbee® for the young passengers who promised to wear their
life jackets in the boat or playing in the lake. Moms and dads left the ramp
with an Alabama required vessel noise device – a whistle to you and me.
Anglers left with a fishing lure. All left with a reminder to wear their
PFDs regardless of age and to be prepared to get off the water if the
predicted thunderstorms arrived. When the families returned, the children
received a water safety activity book.
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Memorial Day weekend
volunteers Marilyn and Tom Phipps talk to a boater at the Holt Lake
Rocky Branch boat ramp while Park Ranger Justin Sexton listens to them
answering questions concerning inflatable life jackets.
(Photo by Mark Meador) |
Monday took us to Rocky Branch boat launch
ramp. Before the display was set up, a boater came over to ask about life
jackets. He was interested in the inflatable personal floatation devices,
because his other PFD was just too hot to wear. He tried on the display
inflatable, learned about the safety features and was ready to buy display.
Monday brought excitement from Mother Nature when a thunderstorm rolled
slowly across the lake. We encouraged boaters to keep an eye toward the
afternoon sky and to be prepared to seek shelter since the weathermen
promised scatter afternoon showers. The promised 20-minute deluge took
approximately an hour to pass. Several boaters came back to the ramp to seek
shelter; a few pulled their boats out of the water and some waited until the
storm passed to launch.
Perks for volunteering for a few hours each day included a free campsite at
Deerlick Creek Park and an opportunity to meet other visitors to the corps
recreation areas. The perks for the rangers included knowing that the water
safety message was getting out on a holiday weekend, having more time to
patrol the recreation areas and not having to write citations for visitors
who forgot to use the honor box at boat ramps. The bright red shelter with
the big white castle must have inspired all the visitors to use the honor
box and pay the $3 boat launch ramp fee.
In exchange for working a few hours each day, Tom and I still had time to
enjoy camping and the lake. This is definitely a great way to spend a
weekend!
What are you doing the Fourth of July weekend? We will be refining our water
safety promotional skills at the district’s West Point recreation area.
Do you have a volunteer success story to share?
We will rotate
stories and print them as space becomes available.
