Village News

What would the operations of Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) look like without volunteers? Who would make the famous MHV waffles and the white sauce that goes with them? How would the grass on our yard be kept trimmed and neat? Who would pick, cut and freeze all the rhubarb that the Livery Barn Restaurant bakery uses to make all that delicious rhubarb plautz? Things would be different without our volunteers.

This is the time of year when we more formally thank all the volunteers who contributed to the success of the summer season. Our annual Volunteer Recognition event will take place on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM in The Auditorium at MHV. All volunteers are cordially invited to attend. While this is not a banquet, there will be snacks available.

I often struggle with the disparity between the significant contributions of our volunteers and the very modest thanks we are able to give them. A 50% discount on restaurant meals on days when they are working and an appreciation event such as the one being held this week seem so small. And yet the whole principle behind volunteering is to provide services at no cost which the organization really can’t afford to purchase. Many volunteers remind us that they’re helping the museum because they believe in it, not to get a tangible reward.

We have a number of groups of volunteer types, all contributing significantly to the successes of MHV. Some volunteers faithfully help us out on festival days. They staff the Short Order Booth, supervise parking, sell ride tickets and candy, and do various other things that are unique to Pioneer Days and our other festivals. A significant group of individuals is on call for our education program and our guided tours. These people are very busy in May and June helping us serve the thousands of school children who come to visit us on their school field-trips. A third group simply spends a lot of time at the museum throughout the summer. They help put up and take down the tent, cut the grass, feed the animals, provide information to guests, answer phones, staff the General Store and Village Books and Gifts, etc. All contribute in ways that they enjoy and that are meaningful to our guests and to MHV.

Many of our volunteers don’t bother tracking the hours they put in at MHV but some do. Let’s estimate that 7000 hours will be logged by our volunteers this year. Manitoba’s minimum wage was $10.70 per hour this summer. While many of the jobs our volunteers do would likely be worth more than that, let’s suppose that they were paid minimum wage. That would be a cost of about $75,000. A very significant contribution!

MHV still needs volunteers through the winter. The MHV Auxiliary has frequent catering jobs during the off season and is always looking for new recruits. We would like to photograph all of our 16,000 artifacts so that we can add a photo to the record in our database. Our map of the Village with all of its underground cables, waterlines and sewer lines needs to be redrawn. There are wagons and other old equipment that need to be rebuilt and restored, and we have a heated shop in which to do the work. And sooner or later we will again need to clear snow from the walks and parking lot. Much of this work can, and likely will, be done by volunteers.

We are so grateful to all who volunteer at MHV, whether for four hours or 400 hours a year. And we are grateful for those who will again volunteer through the winter and into the 2016 season. The spirit of volunteerism is integral to the success of MHV.