Celebrating Our Village of Unpaid Heroes SCV History

What do volunteers do at the Historical Society?

They build displays so visitors can push a button and hear a
real train whistle sound
They patiently sit and scan thousands of pages of ephemera;
documents and pictures that tell the story of Santa Clarita.
They fix musical instruments that are artifacts.
They do a lot of the heavy lifting.
They make seat covers for cabooses and curtains for house
museums.
They show up to give tours of our museum and talk about
the fascinating items on display.
They take tickets at fundraisers.
They solicit table sales and encourage their friends to support
our cause.
They give special tours.
They show up in their grubbies and move boxes from upstairs
to downstairs.
They help restore railroad depot docks and make them better
than they were before.
They read stories to children about trains and give every
child a silver bell because they ‘believe.’
They create renderings so we can dream and share our vision.
They write grants to help fund expenses and projects.
They burn the midnight oil doing books and help us stay
on budget.
They visit schools to support elementary curriculum and
invite students to come visit the History Center.
They search for artifacts online that might fit into our collection.
They bartend and serve at chuckwagon dinners.
They talk with former race car drivers and stunt actors and
hardware store owners to make sure their stories don’t fade away.
They work sound and light boards at events.
They paint things.
They show up for board meetings to make important decisions.
They help transport collection items to secure storage.
They make cookies for people going on a special historic tour.
They work for hours creating centerpieces for a gala dinner.
They huddle as writers to create scripts for entertainment
at a fundraiser.
They visit donors and collect artifacts for the museum
They write thank you letters to people who give us donations.
They polish the metal sides of a locomotive so it shines for a
special event.
They pull weeds.
They protect old buildings.
They show up at City Council meetings and speak on our behalf.
They smile when they see people reminiscing at the sight of
something nostalgic.
They give lectures, talking about what they used to do for work
or a subject they know well.

We couldn’t do our job without them. At the Santa Clarita History Center, every day is Volunteer Day and we celebrate our volunteers’ dedication and contributions. There’s a growing village of friends and neighbors helping us save the past for the future. Won’t you join us? To volunteer, email me at crock@scvhs.org and I’ll send you an application. To learn more about the SCV Historical Society, visit our website at www.scvhs.org.