News

By Gina McClain, Volunteer Specialist

Thank you to all the fabulous volunteer mana-teammates that participated in events such as festivals, cleanups, fieldwork, and educational outreach this past year! It has been amazing to match your faces with your names and get to know many of you and your manatee stories. As we plan for the full event season beginning in January, I wanted to make sure you, our fabulous supporters, know the many ways you can volunteer with us.

Our process is designed to be easy: after completing the online survey accessed from the Volunteer page, you will receive a personalized email from me with more information about the areas that interest you. The next step is to complete both pages of the volunteer contract and return it to me. Then you receive your welcome email and are all set to volunteer!

Below is an outline of ways for you to volunteer your valuable time in Florida:

Festivals:

At each festival, volunteers staff the tent or table, collect donations, process manatee adoptions, distribute educational brochures, and talk to event visitors about manatees. Volunteers choose their schedule, but we do ask for at least a 3-hour commitment.

Fieldwork:

This effort is designed to assist our partners with clean-ups and other important work regarding safe boating, seagrass improvement, and other ways to protect manatees and their habitats.

Manatee Outreach Ambassador:

This outreach can be conducted anywhere manatees are present. This is a self-directed position great for those interested in seeking opportunities to spread the word about manatees. You will notify us of any areas that need signage or materials and report healthy manatee sightings to our database.

Office Volunteer in Longwood (near Orlando):

Our office volunteers assist with administrative tasks and support department projects for our catalog, membership, and volunteer departments. We enjoy learning about your talents and utilizing them to enhance our support for manatees. Office volunteer hours are available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please reach out to me for more details.

As always, Save the Manatee Club is dependent upon YOU and your willingness to donate your time to attend festivals and events. All of us are incredibly grateful for each of our volunteer mana-teammates! If you are a lapsed volunteer or are unsure of your status, please reach out to me via email.