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Volunteering makes you smile. Volunteers include, from left, Mary Mercer, Debi Pfaff, Shelia Patterson, John Predgo, Dosinda Greenwood and Barbara Haas.
The Tri-Community Visitors Center is looking for volunteers. The only pre-requisite is that you care about your community. Shelia Patterson from the Visitors Center and a volunteer says that the volunteers are needed to help fill the schedule in staffing the Visitors Center which is currently open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. They would like to see the hours expanded to include the weekend when more tourists and visitors come through the area.
Volunteers are expected to work a shift either 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 to 4 p.m. The number of days of the week and the day of the week that you would work is flexible and can be worked around one’s schedule. The volunteers are expected to help set up, keep the brochures and printed information up to date, some light cleaning and be able to answer questions from tourists about the Tri-Community area such as what restaurants, hotels, activities, places of interest and events are in the area. Being able to give directions and some knowledge of the history of the Tri-Community are a plus. Shelia said that they would like to see more volunteers from Mammoth and San Manuel that have knowledge of the area.
“It is a great way to meet people and give back to the community,” Shelia said.
Volunteers will receive training about the Visitors Center building and its operation. The center has a gift shop where local artists have provided crafts and art work for sale. There is also an information room where brochures from tourist attractions around the state including the Copper Corridor are available as well as maps and business cards from local business owners. Training is also provided about the activities, places of interest, hotels, restaurants, businesses, etc. in the area.
Some of the current volunteers for the Tri-Community Visitors Center are:
John Predgo – John is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and has lived in Oracle for three years. He says he volunteered because he likes to stay active and it was a good way to meet people. “Our group of volunteers is like a family,” he said. John also volunteers with Oracle Firewise and CERT.
Dosinda Greenwood – Dosinda was born and raised in Honduras. She has been in the United States since 1977 and in Oracle for three years. Dosinda said she always volunteered overseas. Because she was new to Oracle she volunteered to meet people and to find out what was going on in the area. Besides meeting the wonderful volunteers, she says she enjoys talking with the tourists. She finds many of them interesting including some from other countries. “It makes me feel useful,” she said.
Mary Mercer – Mary lived in Mammoth for 30 years and is a former owner of the Mercer Ranch along the San Pedro River. She has lived in Oracle for one year. She is a former Mammoth School Board member. She said that she volunteered as her way of giving back to the community and because she enjoys meeting people both the volunteers and the tourists.
Barbara Haas – Barbara moved to Oracle from San Diego three years ago. She says she volunteered as a way of giving back to the community which helped her and her husband when they first moved here. “It’s a way of becoming part of the community,” Barbara said. Barbara volunteers with the Oracle Public Library, CERT, Oracle Firewise, and SPATS.
Debi Pfaff – Debi is a retired school teacher. She taught for 40 years. She has lived in the Tri-Community since 2001 with the last two and a half years in Oracle. She has been with the Tri-Community Visitors Center since it was first organized by the Oracle Women’s Network (OWN). She was their first Director. Debi says, “It has been neat seeing the vision come together” and how the cooperative has grown over the years. Debi volunteers for “Start at the Street” in San Manuel and enjoys helping the elderly.
If you would like to learn more about the Tri-Community Visitors Center or volunteer, stop by the center at 1470 W. American Ave. in Oracle or visit www.visittricommunity.org. You can also email them at info@visittricommunity.org.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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