Volunteer
Uncle Atwood wants YOU!
Riverview, as a small non-profit organization,
operates with few paid staff and many dedicated volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please call us at (270)843-5565.Who can become a Riverview Volunteer?
Anyone with an interest in historic houses or the Civil War or Victorian period, who wants to learn more about 19th century lifestyle and customs, and who is willing to make a meaningful contribution to Riverview's mission.What are the benefits of being a Riverview Volunteer?
- As a Riverview Volunteer you have many benefits, including:
- Satisfaction in acquainting visitors with Bowling Green's only historic house museum.
- Community Service and enrichment
- Contributing to the preservation of a significant historic structure and a major collection of historical artifacts
- Playing a key role in the development of appreciation for south
- Central Kentucky's unique heritage in the War Between the States
- Developing communication and leadership skills-Social gatherings, occasional workshops and field trips
- Meeting new people with similar interests
- Discount in our gift shop
What volunteer opportunities are available?
A Docent or tour guide gives tours through the museum after time spent with a current docent and our tour manual in order to learn the tour. We need substitutes and a regular Tuesday morning and Friday morning docent.
A Museum Gift Shopkeeper answers the telephone, greets & thanks visitors, counts the money in the cash register at the beginning & end of the 3 hour shift (mornings 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. or afternoons 1 p.m. —4 p.m.), writes up sales tickets for gift shop purchases, makes change for our customers, rearranges stock, & advises the Director if stock is running low. Some volunteers enter their sales in the cash register; others prefer to write up the tickets & leave the cash register entry to the Director. Either way is fine. We need substitutes & a regular Friday morning shopkeeper.
Special Events Volunteers help in many ways with the Special Events that we feature 3-4 times yearly for the public. Some volunteers offer special skills as a lecturer, a reenactor, a language translator, or a storyteller; others lend antiques or artifacts to Riverview, from their private collection, in keeping with the theme of our Special Event. Most Special Events volunteers, however, give their time & labor to help set up, run, & clean up after a Special Event. They may contact businesses for underwriting funds, assist with marketing the event, act as host or hostess to our visitors, direct parking, sell tickets, serve food or drinks, answer questions, conduct tours, or assist the Shopkeeper in the Museum Shop.
Gardens & Grounds Volunteers help care for the perennial & rose gardens at Riverview—planting annuals & adding perennials, spreading mulch, deadheading, weeding, watering, planning new Victorian beds, etc., on their own schedule & available time. We occasionally will have a workday in the spring or fall or prior to a special event, when we want the grounds to look especially nice. The Parks & Rec. Dept. mows the lawn.
Clerical & Bulk Mail Assistants come to Riverview 5-6 times a year for 2-3 hours each time to help apply labels to our quarterly newsletter or the membership drive envelopes, address envelopes for the “Chair”-ity Event or the annual Membership/Volunteer Appreciation luncheon, etc., & then help sort & count them according to bulk mail regulations. The Director then takes them to the Bulk Mail office. The Friends Board is the fundraising arm of the museum. The Board makes nominations each fall to fill the five places that are vacated as former Friends end their 4 year terms of service. The Friends meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month at noon at Riverview. They are responsible for the “Chair”-ity fundraiser, the membership drive, volunteer appreciation, & help with Special Events. If interested, please contact Mary Ross Smith, president of the Board, or any Friends Board member.
The Timeless Manners Committee conducts a 6-week Timeless Manners I class for 1st-3rd grade children & a 4-week Timeless Manners II class for 3rd & 4th grade children on Sunday afternoons in mid-January through February each winter. They teach table & telephone manners, making introductions, writing thank you notes, dealing with the handicapped, etc., with Susan Hoechner as instructor.
The Tea & Luncheon Committee is a dedicated group of excellent cooks who cater, by reservation only, hot, home-cooked high Victorian Teas and Luncheons, donating not only their time & expertise, but also the groceries that go into preparing the repast. All is served with fine linens, china, crystal & silver, with fresh flowers on each table. They need help with serving & clean-up, & occasionally with the donation of a homemade dessert or salad.
If you would like to volunteer, please call us at (270)843-5565!