by Tina Kelly, Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea | Photo by Jeff Reindl –
Wolf eels, jellyfish and an octopus aren’t the only stars of the show at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. Volunteers are key to the success of the non-profit aquarium. Lately, there’s been much ado about one particular volunteer. And rightly so: Mikes Patterson has reached an incredible milestone, surpassing 3,000 hours of volunteering. Mikes isn’t alone in her club of contribution. Roughly 115 volunteers donated more than 4,200 hours over the last year.
Women have a strong presence on the Centre’s volunteer team; more than 70% of the Centre’s volunteers identify as female. Retirees on the team reflect diverse professional backgrounds and reasons for volunteering. Some prospective volunteers look for a clear link to their former professions. During Merlie McGee’s career as a teacher she was known as “Queen Green.” When she sought out a new volunteer role in 2009, she thought: “it made sense to continue in the education field.”
Lesley Nicholls, like Mikes and Merlie, has been with the Centre since opening day. She credits her career in university administration for her ease in public speaking. That skill, combined with her interest in fish – including keeping her own aquariums – led Lesley to the Centre. While the bulk of her time has been spent engaging visitors, she has also provided administrative support and was the first to hold the role of Volunteer Representative on the Board of Directors. Her two-year term helped develop this role into what it is today.
When the call went out for the next Volunteer Representative Lesley Wood stepped up. She already had years of interacting with visitors under her belt. When asked what she had been looking for in a volunteer role initially, Lesley W. was specific: “it should appeal to my interests and replicate the parts of my profession I particularly enjoyed.” For her that equated to animals, natural history and interacting with the public. A unique aspect of Lesley W’s professional background is now proving especially valuable; as the Centre undergoes the process of developing a 10-year strategic plan, she is sharing insight and expertise from her experience with community consultations.
The Centre is not the only benefactor of these women’s time and talents. Their passion for community giving extends to other organizations, locally and globally. For 27 years Merlie has volunteered on humanitarian projects around the world, Lesley N. has long been involved with the Sidney Sister Cities Association and Lesley W. is an active volunteer with both the Royal BC Museum and Abkhazi Garden.
It’s not all about giving; it’s also about receiving. Each of these women, without being prompted, has acknowledged the positive impact volunteering has on their lives. Lesley W. appreciates learning something new on every shift. For Lesley N., the Centre’s temporary closure due to COVID-19 highlighted how volunteering is important for getting her out into the community and connecting with people.
It can be hard to quantify the impact these women, and all volunteers, have had and continue to have on the Centre and the community, but when Merlie reflects back on her time with the Centre one anecdote pops up. A young boy approached her at a Victoria-area mall with recognition in his eyes and proudly announced he remembered her favourite species – the grunt sculpin. That is an impact. And a little proof that volunteers are stars of the show.
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is a non-profit aquarium and education centre located on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. For more information visit www.salishseacentre.org.
