Volunteers at the Alberta Aviation Museum contributed more than 10,500 hours of work in 2016 — equivalent to 1,250 employee-days of work. And last Thursday the museum said “thank you” with a recognition ceremony and BBQ.
“We haven’t always properly recognized the valuable work of these people,” said AAM executive director Jean Lauzon. “But we are changing that from now on.”
Lauzon handed out certificates and pins to dozens of those who attended the event, while emphasizing the important role volunteers play in the revitalization of the museum.
“A lot of the changes would not have happened without the volunteers,” Lauzon pointed out. “You see the island displays out there. You see the aircraft being restored. None of that would have happened if we did not have the number of volunteers that we do have and we need to appreciate them.”
In all, almost 100 volunteers gave their time, including ten who were singled out for an impressive number of hours. John Liddle, Garry Thomlinson, Mark John, Gerry Blacklock and Phil Vere each put in more than 500 volunteer hours. Bruce Ramshaw, James McQuarrie and George Nixon each volunteered more than 450 hours, while Bill Graham and Ted Mageau contributed more than 350 hours.
Lauzon also emphasized that the volunteer hours play an important role in generating funds for the museum.
“We’ve applied for about half a dozen grants and the volunteer hours logged makes a big difference on our ability to get that funding going forward.”
Congratulation to all our great volunteers. You help us keep Edmonton’s aviation history alive. Anyone interested in volunteering at the AAM can get more details here.