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Thank you so much for
your interest in volunteer opportunities with the Children’s
Museum of St. Johns. We are committed to sharing the museum
with volunteers who want to help us with our mission of providing
a fun, safe place for children to play, an exciting place
to learn, and a comfortable gathering place for families
to interact.
Volunteers are a major
resource to an emerging children’s
museum and we are happy that you are interested in sharing
your time and talent with us. CMSJ is looking for people with expertise and enthusiasm to
work on committees for fund raising, site selection, marketing,
and exhibit and program development.
To
download our Volunteer Information Form, please click here.
For more information about volunteer opportunities, please
contact Kathy Weed at info@explorecmsj.org.
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As part of national volunteer appreciation month, this all-volunteer organization honored its “Helping Hands” with a presentation and buffet breakfast hosted by La Cocina International Restaurant on Wednesday, April 29
More than 25 volunteers for the Children’s Museum of St. Johns attended a breakfast in their honor. Board and committee members, members of the newly formed Presidential Advisory Council, and exhibit and event volunteers alike gathered to reflect upon accomplishments since the organization was founded in February of 2007 and look forward to its ultimate goal—becoming a bricks and mortar institution serving and enhancing the community within the next 2 to 4 years.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of this organization,” said Kathy Carson Weed, one of the founders of the organization who now serves as volunteer coordinator. “Let me repeat, we are 100 percent volunteer-led. There is no financial reward in this for any of us. Our reward is all those smiling faces you see on the screen,” she said, pointing to a slide show presentation of events CMSJ has participated and brought traveling exhibits to such as Ancient City Kids Day and the Lighthouse Festival. One of the organization’s youngest volunteers received special recognition for her participation. Mackenzie Peil, a freshman at Pedro Menendez High School, has participated in every CMSJ volunteer event to date. “She is one of the most enthusiastic and determined young ladies I have ever met. She brings energy and that enthusiasm with her to CMSJ events and in helping CMSJ prepare for our exhibits,” said Weed, as she presented the award, which included a photo of Mackenzie rolling children in a giant bubble at Ancient City Kids Day last fall. “Mackenzie’s energy is contagious and endless, we look forward to having her in our organization for many years to come. Thank you, Mackenzie!”
Also honored were what Weed referred to as “The Three Musketeers”—Andy Jackson, Chris Philcox, and Dr. Jay Weed—husbands of three of the founders, who have pitched in time and time again to set up and breakdown tents, drive floats, and lug lots of equipment to events, in addition to offering professional expertise in computers, accounting, construction, and real estate. They were presented with CMSJ logo caps.
CMSJ President Jennifer Koppman, addressed the group, citing the just-released results of the recent Destination Master Plan completed for the Tourist Development Council, which points out a lack of fun things for kids to do in the area and a need to bolster family appeal. “A children’s museum in this community will not only serve the families that live here, but will also be a huge economic boon and attraction for tourists, which is a major part of this area’s economy.” She also thanked the host of the event, Norberto Jaramillo, owner of La Cocina International Restaurant, located at the Castillo Real Hotel in St. Augustine Beach, and presented him with CMSJ t-shirts for his young children. As a father of young children, he said he was happy to support an organization that provides a much-needed service in the community.
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