We ❤ Our Volunteers

By C.J. Hirschfield

As a small, local nonprofit, Children’s Fairyland depends on volunteers for many of our activities. We work with many local organizations and corporations, but individual volunteers are hugely important to us. How important? Well, this year 400 individual volunteers donated 1,600 hours of time to Fairyland, helping to ensure that our 67-year-old jewel of a park continues to shine.

Two weeks ago, we held a special event – food, drink, toasts – to honor and thank these dedicated people, whose work is matched to their varied interests and talents. Many have found a second home at Fairyland, where we shower them with fairy love. Here are a few of their stories.

Zachary is a P.E. teacher at an Oakland public school whose son attended Fairyland’s summer camp. Zachary brought smiles and giggles to scores kids as he led seven Toddler Storytimes this summer.

Lifting a glass at Bacheeso's on Grand Ave. during our volunteer-appreciation event.

After Paul retired, not long ago, he wanted to work with his hands. We were happy to find projects for him. In his Alameda garage, Paul refurbishes our fairy houses (look for them by the water), and even built a new mansion for our adorable guinea pigs to enjoy.

CJ – yes, Fairyland has two CJs! – is a jeweler and metal artist who teaches at Oakland’s Crucible Fire Arts Collective. A longtime Fairyland volunteer, CJ helped happy campers at one of our Summer Sleepovers.

Dimple, who lives in our Adams Point neighborhood, has served as a photographer’s assistant for many years at our annual gala fundraising event. She makes sure the names match the pictures we publish—no easy task when you’re working in the middle of a big party.

All smiles at our volunteer-appreciation event.

During much of the year, members of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club gather at Fairyland on the last Saturday of the month to work on various projects, including preparing for our annual events, cleaning the park and – a special project this year – painting the mural by our goat and sheep barn. Kyle and his wife Susan lead the charge on behalf of the organization.

Volunteers from the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club painting the mural by our goat and sheep barn.

Kelly met her husband when they both worked at Fairyland decades ago; her mother, Marilynn O’Hare, was our artist-in-residence back then. Kelly shows up every year to help organize the silent auction at our big gala fundraiser, where timing is important.

Brett is one of the newest kids on the Fairyland volunteer block. He helped us with a Summer Sleepover evening shift and at our Drawn Together arts event. Brett told us that he’s “endlessly fascinated by theme parks and love that there's one in my own backyard that I can help.” Brett just completed a two-day training to become a volunteer reader in our weekly Toddler Storytime program.

A couple of people deserve special mention, because their volunteer devotion to the park has become legendary.

Lela, an avid supporter of Fairyland’s grown-up and family events, gave us 83 service hours in 2017, including the four nights she spent camping out at our Summer Sleepovers. In addition, she helped us with Garden Day, Drawn Together, Game Day and Jack o’Lantern Jamboree. How much of a Fairyland fan is Lela? Well, she has a tattoo on her wrist of our Magic Key!

Lela owns an impressive collection of Magic Keys!

Kim has achieved superstar volunteer status, with 125 service hours in 2017. He spends most of his time helping the horticulture department with gardening tasks, and also saves monarch butterflies as part of our Monarch Madness program. Kim also volunteered at our Gala and Drawn Together evening events and at the daytime Garden Day, Summer Sleepovers and Jamboree.

Finally, I must give special recognition to Jacqui June, who applied for a job at Fairyland a year ago, when we had no openings. Undeterred, she decided to work for us for free as a Toddler Storytime reader. She impressed us so much with her enthusiasm and talent that when a job opened up at the park that aligned with her professional background, we happily “graduated” her to a staff position in which she oversees  our birthday party programs and sleepovers. And she still fills in as a storyteller when needed.

Volunteers help make the world—and Fairyland—go ’round, and ours are the best!

Won’t you join us? Just send us a note to Outreach@fairyland.org and our volunteer coordinator, Vicky Chen, will match your talents with our tasks.

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C.J. Hirschfield has served for 15 years as executive director of Children's Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation's first storybook theme park.