Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Every year we like to celebrate the past year’s achievements and to recognize some of the outstanding volunteers that make the work of the Green Mountain Club possible. This year, over 60 volunteers were honored for their work and service to the Green Mountain Club at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic.

At the Green Mountain Club, volunteerism touches everything we do. It is woven tightly into the fabric of who we are.  Last year, GMC volunteers logged almost 10,000 hours. Volunteers do everything from maintaining trails and shelters to writing GMC publications and taking part in membership phone-a-thons. When you add up all of the volunteer hours in a given year it is equivalent to growing the staff of the Green Mountain Club by 50%. Add to that the irreplaceable knowledge, relationships, and skills volunteers bring to the table, and you have something very special indeed.

At this year’s picnic, we honored our volunteers with both service and merit awards:

• 24 volunteers received awards representing 5 years of service
• 7 volunteers received awards representing 10 years of service
• 7 volunteers received awards for work done specifically on the Appalachian Trail

Merit awards were given out to those who worked tirelessly on particular projects, including:

• Planning our Annual Meeting in June
• Scanning every issue of the Long Trail News so that it can be shared online
• Promoting GMC outings and events to non-members, and leading outings and events
• Maintenance of the trail and construction / restoration of shelters and privies
• Creating a Young Adventurers Club to get more kids outside
• Historic preservation of GMC materials and photos
• Staffing visitor centers and helping hikers with important information

There are many ways to volunteer with the Green Mountain Club.  If you are interested in joining us, please check out our Volunteer Opportunities to see where your skills would be a good fit.  In addition to the sense of purpose and accomplishment that volunteering provides, it is also a great way to connect with others and is just plain fun!  We love getting as many volunteers as possible together at our Volunteer Appreciation Picnic.  Good food, good music, and good company abound – hopefully, next year you will be joining us!

Thank you to all of the volunteers that protect and maintain the Long Trail for all to enjoy!