See what's it like to Volunteer at AMM
Volunteer Opportunities: Help Wanted!
Volunteer Recruitment Event
Thursday, Nov. 29,
7 - 8:30 p.m.
The Museum is looking for both captains and shipmates to manage the decks and the engine room. Whether you have one hour or twenty, we can use your help.
Bob Stevenson, a long time friend of AMM, will be at the helm of a volunteer information and recruitment event.
The Museum can use your time on a project that fits your schedule, talent and interest. Here are a few: Museum Docents, Archives, Membership, Office Support,
Building and Grounds, Bloggers,
Education Programs, Website Content,
Special Events, Writers,
Environmental Stewardship, Data Entry,
Lighthouse Tours, Oyster & Fish Tank, Wooden Boat Crew, and more.... You'll be in ship shape with training!
Please RSVP to Jenny Kottler, to let us know you'll be there.
We love our volunteers!
Are you looking for a fun, engaging project that will give you great satisfaction? Are you up for taking a leadership role in a program that will provide a vital service to the community? Then we’re looking for you. We’re a small staff with a big job to do, so we need your help to keep this Museum running full steam ahead!
You can choose one of a number of projects that matches your interest and work with us to fill a vital need in a way that’s fun and involving for you. We have an exciting year ahead; as the McNasby Oyster Company building is now open and our community service programs expand, it’s crucial that we find dedicated volunteer leadership to grab hold of these projects and carry them through to success.
education program
lighthouse tour docent training
wooden boat crew
docent training
cataloging artifacts
sock burning
Here are just a few of the available positions:
Museum Docents – You can inspire our visitors with our unique maritime heritage and our connection to the Chesapeake Bay. You’ll learn the elements of the Museum’s award-winning interpretive plan and the skills you need to involve visitors of all ages with this area’s history, from Capt. John Smith’s voyage of discovery in 1608 to Annapolis’ current status as America’s Sailing Capital. The Museum needs volunteers to staff the newly renovated McNasby Oyster Company building for public hours, Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. each day. Volunteers will be trained to interpret the Museum’s current and upcoming exhibits, themes and education programs to Museum visitors, including children, adults and families.
Docents must be enthusiastic, cheerful, and willing to learn. They should have an interest in working with people, and be willing to become actively involved with the programs of the Museum. Experience or education in history, maritime heritage, or teaching is helpful, though not required. You can even sign up on line for a preferred time. Call the Museum at 410-295-0104 or email volunteer@amaritime.org.
Buildings & Grounds Manager – If you’re a do-it-yourself-er with a green thumb and a golden hammer, you can take charge of the Museum buildings and grounds, recruiting, training and supervising volunteers to maintain Capt. Herbie Sadler Park, the Barge House, the piers and the McNasby Oyster Company building.
Sock Burning – If you haven’t been to one of these quirky rites of spring, you’re in for a treat. We will need volunteers to help next year in the spring of 2010.
Education programs – There’s nothing more inspiring than to see kids form a connection with the Chesapeake Bay and our unique maritime heritage. The Museum has four separate programs for 4th and 8th graders, including "Treasure Our Waters," in partnership with Watermark Cruises. You can work with our education committees to help in this crucial element of the Museum’s mission.
Lighthouse Tours – We’ve planned six weekends of public tours out to the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse between June and August, and we need committed docents to lead these tours. You’ll learn the significance this National Historic Landmark, how to share this information with visitors, and get a unique insider’s-only view of this icon of the Chesapeake Bay.
Wooden Boat Crew – Whether you’re a skilled boatwright or just handy with a paintbrush, we need your help to keep the Museum’s skipjack Lydia D, the deadrise Honey Do, and the three land-based wooden workboats shipshape in Bristol fashion. We also need USCG licensed captains and other salts to sail the boat to the Summertime Maritime Concert series at Annapolis City Dock and other special events.
Archives – The Museum can use some help cataloguing the items in its archives.
Retail Sales – If you’ve got experience in sales & marketing, AMM needs your guidance in developing a new gift shop in the restored McNasby building.
To contribute your time, talent and expertise, send an email to the Museum or call 410-295-0104.
Congratulations to our 2011 Volunteer of the Year, Tom Cagle!
Art Tuers named AMM Volunteer of the Year 2010
Thanks to his countless hours of devotion to the Museum as a
docent, teacher, lighthouse guide, and all-around great guy, Art Tuers
has been named “Volunteer of the Year 2010.”
“Art is amazing,” says Volunteer Coordinator Amanda Elliott. “You just say the word and he’s here when you need him. He’s helped us with mopping up after high tides, feeding the fish in the aquarium, and other behind-the-scenes mundane chores. But Art really shines when he’s interacting with our visitors. His engaging warmth and enthusiasm are infectious. Everybody loves him.”
Born and raised in Eastport, just a few blocks away from the
Museum campus, Art worked at the McNasby Oyster Co. part time as
a young man, and his brother worked there full time for a number of
years. “Art’s knowledge of the day-to-day operations here at
McNasby’s really bring the Oysters on the Half Shell exhibit alive,” says
Museum Director Jeff Holland. “We rely on him to help train the other
docents and education volunteers so they can help connect our visitors
and students with this vital part of our unique maritime heritage.” Art
recently celebrated his 80th birthday.
Amanda Elliott Joins Crew as New Volunteer Coordinator
Amanda Elliott joined the Museum crew as the full-time
volunteer coordinator in September, thanks to a grant from Volunteer Maryland. This is a one-year, full-time commitment as a
member of AmeriCorps (the “domestic Peace Corps”). Amanda
recently graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a degree
in history.
“We would like you to become a teacher of the Bay,” Amanda says. “We encourage both young and old to roll up their sleeves and dive into our numerous volunteer opportunities to join in our plight to save our treasured waters. As a volunteer at the Museum, you have the opportunity to choose from an assortment of duties that complement your skills. Some of these opportunities include working with our prized education program that educates more than 1,200 local students per year, becoming a museum docent to our thousands of visitors or picking up a paint brush and joining our wooden boat crew in their mission to preserve the boats that once plied the Chesapeake. We have something to suit everyone interested in preserving the beloved waters of our backyard. So if you have a passion for the Bay’s colorful history and a desire to preserve it for future generations, we want you!”
If you would like to become a Museum volunteer, please contact Amanda at volunteer@amaritime.org.
This program is a partnership between the Annapolis
Maritime Museum and Volunteer Maryland, a program of
the Governor’s Office.
Annapolis Maritime Museum | 723 Second Street | PO Box 3088 | Annapolis, MD 21403
410 295-0104
office@amaritime.org