Wolf Trap Recognizes Its 1500 Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts are pleased to pay tribute to the more than 1,500 volunteers who dedicate their time, talent and energy each year to ensure an extraordinary Wolf Trap experience for hundreds of thousands of people.

The nonprofit Wolf Trap Foundation works in partnership with the National Park Service to operate Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to provide year-round performing arts and education experiences. Volunteers play a central role in helping both organizations to operate efficiently and to create magical and memorable experiences for Wolf Trap patrons.

An estimated 200 volunteers dedicate their time throughout the year on behalf of the Foundation to assist in various capacities including administrative work, event planning and staffing, managing the gift shop at The Filene Center, and box office relations, among other opportunities. Assistance from these dedicated volunteers save Wolf Trap tens of thousands of dollars each year.

More than 1,000 people volunteer at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts each year across a broad spectrum of opportunities. The vast majority of the ushers at the summer performances are volunteers. In 2010, 600 volunteer ushers returned from previous seasons to mentor 90 new usher volunteers. Many of the park rangers and first aid responders are volunteers as well. Other areas where volunteers play important roles include Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, Stage Door, Administration and Maintenance.

The Foundation and Park have recently included volunteers in a joint Green Spot initiative, to help inform patrons at Filene Center performances about Wolf Trap's Go Green programs and encourage them to get involved.

"Volunteers are certainly at the center of the Wolf Trap experience; without the help of volunteers early on, Wolf Trap would not be all that it has become today," said Terrence Jones, president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. "We see the same dedication, enthusiasm and commitment from our volunteers today, including some who have been involved since the Foundation started. It is truly remarkable and hard to find the words to express how much their commitment and efforts mean to us and to everyone who appreciates the National Treasure of Wolf Trap."

A number of volunteers for the Foundation and the Park have returned year after year to offer their time and service. Ruth Erno began volunteering with the Foundation in 1971 before Wolf Trap even opened, and today at 90 years old is still actively involved.

"I've always loved the performing arts and theatre, and was very eager to be a part of Wolf Trap," recalls Erno, when discussing why she first started volunteering. Erno has helped in many areas of the Foundation during the past four decades including hand writing invitations to special events, creating table centerpieces and even picking up artists from Dulles airport to bring them to Wolf Trap.

The volunteer usher program started in 1971, and three participants, Harriet and Marvin Wagner and Carolyn Voas, have been part of the program since the beginning. This summer they will celebrate 41 years of assisting patrons at least one day a week each season, thereby truly exemplifying the dedication of the National Park Service volunteers to Wolf Trap.

According to the Wagners, "Our 40 years of service to Wolf Trap as volunteer ushers have become a way of life. Spring is not just spring, but a Wolf Trap spring. We can think of no greater service to the Washington area community than Wolf Trap, and frankly, it's a lot of fun too for us. We're looking forward to our 50th
service anniversary!"

Carolyn Voas started as a volunteer usher on Wolf Trap's opening night July 1, 1971. "Who could have dreamed it!" she recalled looking back on her time with the program. "I never guessed that I'd still be here 40 years later, still thrilled by the theatre, the grounds, the performances and the patrons who come to our one and only National Park for the Performing Arts. It's a treasure!"

"We are thankful for the talented and dedicated people who so generously volunteer at Wolf Trap National Park every year," said Karen Pittleman, Director of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. "As former National Park Service Director George Hartzog stated, 'When a VIP agrees to share his talents, skills and interests with the National Park Service, he is paying us one of the highest compliments possible by offering a most valued possession - his time.'"

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Wolf Trap Foundation, please visit www.wolftrap.org/volunteer, and for Wolf Trap National Park volunteer opportunities, please visit

http://www.nps.gov/wotr/supportyourpark/volunteeropportunities.htm

About The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded by Catherine Filene Shouse (1896-1994), produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally and internationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues, the outdoor Filene Center and Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and the Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. In partnership with the National Park Service, The 7,028-seat Filene Center annually showcases an extensive list of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theater, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns operates year round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera Company, one of America's outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap's education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, scholarships, and a nationally recognized internship program that was included in Bloomberg BusinessWeek's 2009 List of "Best Places to Intern." As part of its ongoing commitment to protect and preserve the environment, Wolf Trap offers metro access and is a founding member of the Green Music Group. Terrence D. Jones is president and CEO of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.

About Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

On October 15, 1966 an Act of Congress (Public Law 89-671) provided for the establishment of Wolf Trap Farm Park (the park's original name) in Fairfax County, Virginia. The park was established "... for the performing arts and related educational programs, and for recreation use in connection therewith..."The park began as a gift to the American people from Catherine Filene Shouse. Encroaching roads and suburbs inspired Mrs. Shouse to preserve this former farm as a park where people could find spiritual nourishments in the peacefulness of nature and in the performing arts. Mrs. Shouse donated the land and funds to build the Filene Center which opened on July 1, 1971. Wolf Trap's name was officially changed from Wolf Trap Farm Park to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on August 21, 2002 (Public Law 107-219). Karen Pittleman is the park director.

 

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