Volunteers needed at the Bell Museum and Festival of Nations
Bell Museum
The Bell Museum brings together science, art, and the environment with a unique Minnesota perspective. The museum’s new home on the St. Paul Campus features a digital planetarium, high-tech exhibits, the Bell’s famous wildlife dioramas, outdoor learning experiences, and more.
Volunteers are currently wanted for positions as Gallery Cart Attendant and Docent. These positions contribute to the Bell Museum mission to engage the public in understanding, appreciating, and preserving nature.
The museum is looking for enthusiastic, cheerful, volunteers who are willing to learn. They must be able to work with groups of children, be able to work independently, and have interpersonal and customer service skills.
Gallery Cart Attendant. Multiple activity carts are located throughout the museum to enhance the visitor experience. Volunteers provide information and instruction.
Docent. Volunteers work within the permanent and temporary gallery spaces answering visitor questions and providing a welcoming and engaging environment.
Duties for both positions include creating a positive environment; engaging visitors in interactive activities; assisting visitors with questions and directions; and monitoring assigned area or permanent and temporary galleries for safety and security.
Requirements for both positions:
- Volunteer application and screening
- Orientation
- Background check
- Specialized training as needed
Festival of Nations
Would you like to participate in one of the premier multi-cultural events of the year? The Festival of Nations is the longest-running multicultural festival in the Midwest and attracts 50,000 people each year, including nearly 20,000 students.
The Festival will be celebrating its 87th year May 2–5 at the St. Paul RiverCentre, and the International Institute of Minnesota is now accepting applications for volunteers!
The Festival is not a commercial venture; its purpose is to bring together the whole community for a weekend of singing, dancing, and eating together, on the basic assumption that when Americans, old and new, become acquainted as individuals, prejudices that infect their thinking will drop away and the barriers that separate them will dwindle.
Volunteers work three- or four-hour shifts staffing booths, helping with setup and teardown, cleaning tables, and greeting visitors. Volunteers receive free admission to the Festival.
If you wish to volunteer for at the Bell Museum or for the Festival of Nations, please contact URVC at [email protected] or 612-625-8016.
—John Anderson and Marva Sullivan, URVC
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: