Volunteers
HNC Volunteers of the Year
Back Row: Mike Street (2000), Jean Stollard (2000), Doug McCallum (2001), Barry Cherriere (2003). Front Row: Norm Ralston (2001), Lois Evans (2002), Hazel Broker (2002), Bob Elstone (2003). Absent from photo: Barb McKean (2001).
The Club benefits from the dedication of numerous volunteers. Whether they are hike leaders, study group coordinators, directors on the board, committee members, FalconWatch participants, or Junior Naturalist leaders, the work our volunteers do make the HNC the strong Club that it is today.
Consequently, the Club initiated a new tradition at its October 2000 Annual General Meeting and Member's Night. The Board decided that each year we would honour a few Club members "whose actions as volunteers exemplify the volunteer spirit that enables our Club to carry on as many activities as we do." These volunteers would be named "Volunteers of the Year" and have their names added to an Honour roll which would hopefully inspire all of us to assist with some aspect of the activities that make up the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.
Congratulations to our VOY Award Winners
2008: Elizabeth LeWarne and Warren Beacham further details
Elizabeth LeWarne (left) & Jim Stollard
Warren Beacham (left) & Paul Attack
2007: Rob Dobos and Mike Rowlands
Rob Dobos (left) & Cheryl Edgecombe
Mike Rowlands (left) & Arlene McCaw
Ken Hall presents Hazel Broker with 2002 Volunteer of the Year Award
2006: Betty Blashill and Cheryl Edgecombe
2005: Don McLean and Jocelyn Neysmith
2004: Bob Curry and Glenn Barrett further details
2003: Barry Cherriere and Bob Elstone further details
2002: Hazel Broker and Lois Evans further details
2001: Barb McKean and Doug McCallum further details
2000: Norm Ralston , Jean Stollard and Mike Street further details
VOY Plaques
In 2002, plaques were created to present to Volunteer of the Year recipients. John Sedgwick, husband of Club member Maria Sedgwick, volunteered to design and build the large plaque that will be used by the Club to display the names of past recipients of the HNC Volunteer of the Year Award. This plaque will be kept in the Club display case at the Hamilton Conservation Authority headquarters in Dundas Valley.
In addition to having their names engraved on the large plaque, individual winners will have smaller plaques to take home with them.Club member Bob Crockford, President of Valley City Manufacturing Company Limited in Dundas volunteered to design and build the plaques which individual 'Volunteers of the Year' will receive. John Sedgwick created the Club duck logo using the marquetry technique, and this was inset into the plaque built by Bob and his co-workers at Valley City Manufacturing.
John Sedgwick is an incredible artist in the woodworking technique called marquetry, which he used to create this plaque. All the colours that are found in the beautiful picture on the plaque are natural wood colours (not stained or painted) from various different species of trees (the species can be found on the back of the plaque).
Club member Bob Crockford, President of Valley City Manufacturing Company Limited in Dundas volunteered to design and build the plaques which individual 'Volunteers of the Year' will receive.
Volunteer Opportunites
HNC Board Members Needed
The following are Volunteer Opportunities with the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.
If you are interested in any of these positions, please call or e-mail Past President Jim Stollard at 905-634-3538 or jjstollard@sympatico.ca for information or to volunteer your services.
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HNC TREASURER
The Treasurer is responsible for all aspects of the Club’s finances, however, he/she can enlist the help of individuals or a committee to help with certain parts of the job. The job includes receiving and depositing all income of the Club into the accounts, paying all invoices and expense claims and keeping records of all transactions. It also includes preparation of a Club budget each spring, supervising the annual audit of the Club books, presentation of the audited financial statements to the members and administering the Club’s endowment funds held by the Hamilton Community Foundation.
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HNC VICE PRESIDENT
It is assumed that the Vice President will become the next President, once the President has completed his/her term of office. Thus normally, one is making a 3 to 6 year commitment to remain on the Board if agreeing to become Vice President. (That is 1 or 2 years as VP, 1 or 2 years as President and 1 or 2 years as Past President) This can be modified in unusual circumstances.
Primary Duties
1. Chair Board if President is away.
2. Chair General Meeting if President is away.
3. Complete annual Club inventory.
4. Work with Treasurer to obtain insurance for Club activities.
5. Manage Club projects as directed by the President or the Board.
6. Act as Volunteer Co-ordinator.
April
Make an inventory of Club assets by obtaining from Board members what Club
material they have in their homes.
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HNC VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR
The Volunteer Director is needed to manage and coordinate the volunteer pool of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. The specific tasks to be performed by the Director are listed below. The Director is encouraged to recruit a committee to assist with these tasks.
A) Volunteer Recruitment
1) Re-design volunteer form when necessary to include all jobs that are available.
(Will need to work with membership database).
2) Interview new members to find out their interests and skills. Contact information
to be supplied by Membership Director.
3) Promote volunteering to all members via Wood Duck articles and announcements.
List activities available and provide a job description for each activity,
including the amount of time each entails.
B) Records
1) Produce a list of all committees existing in the Club and the volunteers
currently on each committee. The information to be recorded in a suitable
database.
2) Keep a record of each Club member who is interested in volunteering .Use
the membership database as a start for this.
3) Maintain a record of volunteer opportunities available as well as any special
need for additional manpower; e.g. cleanup at sanctuaries, fundraising events
etc..
C) Volunteer Supply
1) Club Directors, Coordinators and Committee Leaders inform the Volunteer
Director about their needs.
2) The Volunteer Director will supply the person in need with a list of possible
candidates and it will be the job of the person involved to contact the candidates
then report on the outcome of the contact.
D) Recognition
1) Plan and implement a rewards program beyond Volunteer of the Year recognition.
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HNC WOOD DUCK EDITOR
1. To solicit material from the membership for the production of nine volumes
of the Wood Duck per year (most often done through a group email
to past contributors each month). Each volume is typically 24 pages long.
2. To edit said material for style, content, and length, and lay it out for
monthly publication, to the satisfaction of the board.
3. To deliver the Duck files to the printer on time
each month, and to negotiate with the printer on the Club’s behalf re:
questions of style, cost, etc.
4. To produce an annual budget.
5. To coordinate the publications committee, to represent the publications
committee on the board, i.e. to ensure that the board is aware of the committee,
to ensure that all Club print material goes through the committee, and to
distribute material to the committee as required.
6. To act as board representative for the mailing committee.
7. To produce other related print materials of the Club, including the Dates
to Remember, and the Wednesday Night Hikes brochures using information
from the Field Events Director.
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Volunteers for Head-of-the-Lake Land Trust Program
The following are Volunteer Opportunities with The Head-of-the-Lake Land Trust Program of The Hamilton Naturalists' Club.
If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact Margaret
Troy
at margtroy@hotmail.com or call
905-634-9901
Marketing/Communications
MARKETING & PUBLICITY ASSISTANTS
Do you enjoy working with others? Do you have a flair for networking, enjoy meeting new people and building ongoing relationships? Would you like to gain experience in marketing, publicity, and/or public education, while helping to preserve the environment and natural spaces in our community? If so, this is the volunteer position for you! Assist our Land Trust Coordinator with marketing and publicity for a number of activities, such as publicizing events and exploring marketing opportunities. Use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Chat, WordPress, Twitter, YouTube and more Web2.0 technology. Learn these skills if you don't have them!
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IT Support/Development
WEB GURU
Are you tech savvy and care about protecting the environment? We require a
volunteer to help facilitate training in and managing the use of social marketing
technology. The goals are to increase communication, to decrease driving and
paper use, and to increase public awareness especially in the under 35 year
old demographic. Facebook, Twitter, Video Chat, Flicker, Gmail/ Google Apps,
are examples of the technology we’d like to learn more about.
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Fundraising
FUND DEVELOPMENT REP
We're always looking for new and interesting opportunities to generate funds to support the projects that protect our environment. Do you have experience in grant writing, capital campaigns, or sponsorship programs? Do you have new and creative ideas for generating funds to support the work of non-profits? We'd welcome advice, training or actual hands-on support for improving/writing our grant proposals and thinking more broadly about how to fund our organization's mission to protect our environment.
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Service Delivery
STEWARDSHIP ASSISTANT
This is the ultimate flexible volunteer position! Do you enjoy being outside, learning about nature and helping to protect natural areas? If so, this is the position for you! Common buckthorn, dog strangling vine and garlic mustard are invasive plants that need to be removed from our nature sanctuaries to help protect endangered species in environmentally sensitive areas. Work with conservation experts from the HNC to tackle these and other invasive species, along with other activities to care for these important areas. While there, learn about the wildlife that frequents the areas and the work involved in caring for these areas. Volunteers may assist with one or two (or more) “work parties” a year, and they are all very much appreciated and needed!
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Service Delivery
ECOART ASSISTANT
Do you like helping young people learn? Are you interested in protecting the environment and making print art? Work with the Land Trust Coordinator and professional artists from The Print Studio to expand this unique project that creates an understanding of nature and art with students. The students learn about the environment and use print art to demonstrate what they’ve learned. This is a great opportunity for Post-Secondary students interested in teaching, performing arts, outdoor recreation, history, and sciences.
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The H.N.C. has been successful because of many dedicated volunteers. We welcome your assistance.
Copyright © 2006 - 2009 Hamilton Naturalists' Club ... Protecting Nature Since 1919
