Give back to your community and get your culture fix at the same time.
If you like to click on headlines about health and self-improvement, you’ve probably heard the news: volunteering is good for you. Helping others in your community gets you moving, boosts your mood, and can even lower your blood pressure. What if you could combine the benefits of volunteering with the lift you get from music, art, and culture? All it takes is a little inspiration and local research.
Here are a few volunteer roles that seniors are taking on to support the arts in their communities.
Usher at a Local Theater
Community theater is alive and well across the country, thanks in part to the volunteers you meet when you arrive at the door. Small local theaters rely on volunteer ushers to greet ticket holders, hand them playbills, and direct them to their seats. Thevolunteers schedule can involve both evening shows and matinees, and ushers generally get to watch the shows for free.
“It’s such a joy to be able to help people enjoy live theatre. What a pleasure to work in a historical theatre with all the people that are here!” says Betsey Cooley, a volunteer usher at the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore. Most theaters with volunteer usher programs have dedicated volunteer coordinators and training requirements, so you’re likely to feel well-prepared before starting your first shift. If your heart has always lifted when the lights go down, becoming an usher could be an exciting and rewarding way to continue to support local show business.
Museum Docent
For those who are a tad more extroverted, volunteering as a museum docent is a way to learn and share your knowledge. Different museums require differing levels of volunteer training, but in general, you need not have any background in the subject before you start as a volunteer. At The Modern museum of art in Dallas, docents enroll in a class to learn about the museum’s collections and how docents interact with the public. At the Tampa Museum of Art, https://tampamuseum.org/about/volunteer/ Gallery Educator volunteers lead tours for school groups and help visitors connect with exhibits. Some museums may also be looking for (more introverted) volunteers who prefer to wander the galleries keeping an eye on the exhibits and offering directions to visitors. If you have a favorite local museum, consider starting there and asking if they have a volunteer program.
Community Artist
Whether or not you think of yourself as an artist, consider that your community might need more art. The nonprofit Art with a Heart accepts volunteers as individuals and groups to support in manifesting large-scale art projects commissioned by Maryland non-profits. Volunteers can work for an hour or a day at the Art with a Heart studio, contributing to mosaics or paintings that local artists have designed.
Historic Fife and Drum Corps Member
Yes, this one’s here to make the point that, no matter what your artistic or musical interest is, there’s a volunteer opportunity out there for you! The Minnesota Historical Society lists many open volunteer opportunities, among them Garden Associate, Field Trip Greeter, History Day Judge, and member of the Historic Fort Snelling Fifes and Drums. The intergenerational corps performs at historic sites and community events across Minnesota from May to October and welcomes volunteers with basic musical knowledge. The Minnesota Historical Society brings history to life through music–and they need volunteers to do it.
Ask and Google around to find your perfect artistic volunteer role. You might end up sharing your expertise, and you’ll most likely learn something completely new in the process. And that’s good for your health and your community.
