Volunteering

My sisters and I spend Black Friday every year at Jamestown Settlement's "Food & Feasts". Sometimes mom & I will venture out in the wee hours of the morning, but in general we prefer to walk off our turkey dinner at Jamestown and avoid the crowds. The whole premise of the themed weekend is how people in the 17th & 18th century would celebrate. The interpreters make a lot of yummy food, they butcher a pig (off site) and dress it's carcass (on site) and visitors get to do more food type things than the usual pounding of corn at the Powhatan village. We've helped chop vegetables and herbs for sausage and head cheese, mix ingrediants for dishes - did you know that Chicken Fricasse made the old way uses two POUNDS of butter?

This past Black Friday we were again at the Food & Feasts in Jamestown. At one point during the day, sometime very close to lunch my stomach informed me, we were near the platform in the back corner where the musket demonstration is. There was one interpreter with the musket and another sitting on the platform enjoying his lunch. The rope keeping us a safe distance away is about 10 feet away. My stomach protested at the unfairness of his eating lunch when I hadn't yet. The interpreter heard it. The man had a sense of humor and ruthlessly began to tease me about my lack of food. He said "I'd love to share with you. Well no I wouldn't. But even if I did want to share with you, you'd have to be a volunteer or an employee." I don't know if he expected my answer or not, but I asked where to sign up and the conversation took a turn away from the mouth-watering food he was eating with just a knife and describing to me.

I learned that Jamestown and Yorktown do take younger volunteers. I don't think I've seen any kids there, but who am I to argue with a man holding a knife? I've looked into volunteering at Colonial WIlliamsburg. It's for ages 11-16. Recently my mom emailed for more information. They recruit volunteers at a recruitment fair in January of every year, but they aren't having one this year - not enough turn over from last year. Not to mention that you have to live in Williamsburg, James City County, or the Bruton district of York. Technically I'm out of luck. I'm in York, but not Bruton.

Wanting to volunteer at a museum is not new for me. Ever since I was 7, I've wanted to volunteer. I asked when I could volunteer at the Virginia Living Museum and they said I had to be 11. I came back when I turned 11 to ask if I could again. They said "No. Unfortunately, our rules have changed. You now have to be 13." We checked again (didn't ask, just looked on the site) a few months ago and it said that I had to be 15 or I could do a family volunteering at age 11. I found that quite stupid so I'm waiting until I'm 15 or apply somewhere else. I guess they don't really want younger volunteers. They have a pretty big age gap of "lack of things to do" for 10-15 yo. Their day camps stop at 5th grade and you can't even be a helper at day camp unless you are 15. :/

Today we were at Yorktown Victory Center. In the winter you're not allowed to explore the camp and farm by yourself. I guess they cut back staffing like Colonial Williamsburg does. We had two really nice and informative interpreters, one for each the camp and the farm. When we returned to the warmth of the museum, my sisters went off to finish exploring and I stayed behind to talk to them about volunteering at Yorktown. Sam didn't have much information, but she did know that they had some teenagers and she gave me the name and email of the volunteer service coordinator. Sam said I should let her know if I was interested in outside costumed work or just inside answering questions. So I just sent the volunteer service coordinator an email telling her that I would like to know some more information on the volunteering. Hope it goes well *crosses fingers*