FARMINGTON — Maureen "Mo" Brenner "needed to" volunteer, when she applied as a worker at the Farmington Museum some 10 years ago.
"I like people. I've always been around people," Brenner said as she hurried from behind the counter Tuesday to greet a family that walked into the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park. Brenner began explaining the exhibits and pointed the group in the right direction.
"Mo is awesome," said Kandy LeMoine, volunteer coordinator for Farmington's museum system. LeMoine coordinates more than 70 volunteers at four locations — the Farmington Museum, the E3 Children's Museum and Science Center, the Riverside Nature Center and the Harvest Grove Farm and Orchards Barn.
Each volunteer has different interests and characteristics that LeMoine said she puts to use in the museum system. There are volunteer docents or tour guides, educational volunteers, customer service and visitor service representatives.
"They have to enjoy people. That's a big part of the job — greeting people," LeMoine said.
That is something Brenner could easily accomplish. She arrived 51 years ago in the U.S. from England.
"I landed in Denver and that's where I stayed," Brenner said.
From Denver she traveled throughout the
"I enjoy it, especially busy days," she said.
Brenner works the front desk and at the museum store, but other types of volunteers always are needed in the museum system.
"I especially like to get volunteers who help with children and school groups," LeMoine said.
The E3 Children's Museum is seeking people who would like to volunteer with children during the Baby Dinosaurs Exhibit. A training session will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 8 at the museum on North Orchard Avenue.
Before a person is able to volunteer for the city of Farmington, they must fill out an application and undergo a background check conducted by the city's human resources department. Once the check comes back clean, volunteers are given an orientation and possible assignment.
"I schedule a three-hour orientation. I want them to know we're part of the city. I want them to see the big picture," LeMoine said.
She takes the potential volunteer to three historic houses — the Rock House on Orchard Avenue (the site of the original museum), the Palmer House and the Salmon House. They also tour Harvest Grove, the Riverside Nature Center and the Children's Museum.
"I get to know them through the orientation and learn what they like to do," LeMoine said. "It's very important that a volunteer enjoys the space they're in."
Once someone becomes a volunteer with the museum, that person is able to volunteer at any location within the city of Farmington's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department. That includes the Bonnie Dallas Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, Farmington Recreation Center, Farmington Animal Shelter, Sycamore Park Community Center and at various events including the Connie Mack World Series, Road Apple Rally, Renaissance Faire, RiverFest and Totah Festival.
Many volunteers seem to enjoy the city, because they tend to continue volunteering.
"We have volunteers who have been with us for over 20 years," LeMoine said.
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