Dear Editor:
Your recent editorial, “Giving back to the community”, prompted me to reflect on my personal experience volunteering for Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA). This summer will mark my thirteenth year volunteering, which includes two terms as a member of the Board of Trustees and six years as a member of the gift shop management staff, in addition to other CRIA committees and programs. Volunteering gives me the personal satisfaction of staying active and engaged, as well as helping others and my community, with the added benefit of making new friends.
CRIA works in partnership with the USFS and at this critical time, we at CRIA are trying to increase our volunteer membership to help support the FS with Chimney Rock operations. Currently, plaza hosts and roving interpreters are especially needed. If you enjoy engaging with people from all over the USA as well as other countries, then roving Interpreter or plaza host may be the ideal place for you. Hosts welcome visitors to the site, explain about available tours, and briefly describe the culture and people who inhabited the site besides answering general questions. CRIA can provide the background information and/or a mentor to help you with these positions.
Offering a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, CRIA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide education and out-reach to the community. If history is your thing, you may want to become a tour guide and, with the help of a mentor, learn about the ancient Puebloan culture that inhabited the area. Do you have retail experience? Then we can surely use your talents in the gift shop. Are you an astronomy buff? If so, the Night Sky or Full Moon Programs will open new vistas for you. Maybe geology is your obsession, in which case, volunteering for the geology tours may be the right niche for you. Perhaps you are a retired teacher or you just enjoy interacting with children.
Well, you can do that through our Kids’ Week and Kids’ Workshop Programs. If you are a high school senior and need a community service activity for scouts or other organizations, CRIA has a place for you. Whatever your interest, CRIA would appreciate your participation.
If you are interested in volunteering, CRIA is hosting a Volunteer Orientation on Friday, May 2, 2025 from 9:30am to 3pm at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis Street. Lunch and beverages will be provided. On Friday, May 3 from 9am to noon, we will be up at Chimney Rock National Monument to give volunteers a brief tour and answer any further questions.
Please call Kelly, CRIA office manager, at (970)731-7133 to make a reservation for the orientation program.
Joanne Lucariello
