Last summer, I had the opportunity to work with Louise Thomas-Vails, our Front of House Manager, to create a new volunteer program, the Hult Center Arts Ambassadors. We are coming to the close of our inaugural season and I wanted to take a moment to highlight all the incredible accomplishments our Ambassadors had this 2021-2022 season. Someone needed to brag on their behalf!
First, I would like to give our Ambassadors a big THANK YOU! The Ambassadors joined a brand-new volunteer program during the height of the pandemic. Change has been a constant this year, and the Ambassadors have been with us every step of the way. Supporting the Center, staff and patrons, always with a smiling face. We are honored to have such a stellar group of volunteers on our team.
This year, the Arts Ambassadors worked 160 events and served 103,202 patrons! Their cumulative hours were 1,661 valued at $49,415. (Oregon volunteer hourly rate is $29.75 per hour per independentsector.org). These are incredible numbers even if we weren’t dealing with ups and downs of the pandemic. The Ambassadors all deserve a huge round of applause!
The Arts Ambassadors work a variety of different roles to assist our Front of House staff. Everything from Greeters and Usher Assists to Information Desk and Line Managers. But perhaps the most helpful position this season was the vaccination check assists. This was an essential role, and we truly could not have done this without all the volunteer help. As we continue to grow this program, we are excited to add more positions and opportunities for the Ambassadors. We are currently at 8 different positions with more to come.
It has been incredibly rewarding to see this program flourish over the year and I can’t wait to see what is to come in our 40th season at the Hult Center. If you are interested in joining the Hult Center Arts Ambassador Program, feel free to email us at HultVolunteers@eugene-or.gov or visit https://hultcenter.org/education-and-community-engagement/volunteer/ . Applications will open again in the early Fall.
