This Week at Liberty

The past few weekends have screamed by with a scurry of activity. There have been fund raisers, weddings, regular open hours, field trips, meetings, and off-site programs. This past Sunday we featured our Native Americans and Wildlife Celebration event. While the angst ahead of time revolved around the weather… the ultimate decision to go for it turned out to be the absolute correct one. We were prepared with pop up tents and amphitheater housing but the big issue that remained, of course, would anyone come?

So at last minute we decided to proceed… concluding that we would feel pretty silly if it didn’t rain, and we’d already given up, and negated a year of planning and work. And, Kazaaam! It paid off when the sky cleared, the vendors set up, the dancers assembled, the Ice Cream Peddler appeared and the guests returned to the 3^rd Annual Native Americans & Wildlife Celebration. It was a huge success!

All of these events are the work of dedicated staff members who plan and orchestrate the events. All of them are done in economically conscientious ways. And all of them depend on the dedication of volunteers who step in beyond their assigned volunteer positions. These volunteers help make every event on campus a success: financially, educationally, and as hosts of guests intrigued with our beautiful campus.

That volunteerism started long before the event days. Recently we had corporate groups from SRP, Central Arizona Project, and Boy Scouts…to name a few, who arrived at campus with work gloves, tools, skills, and people power. They cleaned windows, pulled weeds and trimmed trees. They cleared the creek around the wetlands and assisted with grooming our campus for the plethora of events. And, the campus does look spectacular!

Our own Liberty Wildlife volunteers make sure the trash is emptied, the enclosures are spotless, the critters are medically cared for, fed and kept strong and well. When events call for tables to be moved, vendors to be checked in, lights to be installed, food and snacks to be brokered, signage to be created and attached appropriately….volunteers step up.

The tour guides in our lobby greet incoming guests, register them if needed, show them where to go and what is going on. They provide orientations when needed and all-in-all are the first face of the facility and the organization, and I am both thankful and just proud of them….they do the job!

Every day others take on tasks that make this place run. Everything from answering the phones, receiving the incoming wildlife, assisting the public with that process, and then spreading out across the Valley to retrieve injured and dangerous wildlife.

It seems like everyone here is invested in seeing that the mission is fulfilled, in making these events sparkle, and that everyone leaves awed and happy. And for that I am greatly thankful. It is easy to recognize a staff that rocks, but the public doesn’t always get to see how much the volunteers do to make everything work like a well synchronized time piece. Volunteers need to be recognized, appreciated, and thanked. Our next Volunteer Appreciation Picnic approaches! And I can’t wait to share my thanks with all of them in person.