Elaine Sommer
Herndon, VA Volunteer at Riverbend Park Length of Service: 1.5 years Nature Education Program Volunteer
Elaine Sommer is always eager to help and lend a hand where needed. She arrives earlier than asked to help prep for programs and stays late to help clean up. She engages kindly with visitors and program participants and doesn’t shy away from the dirty work, whether it’s cleaning paint brushes or cleaning dishes. She is a joy to work with and a light to the programs at Riverbend Park. Sommer continued to help run programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, showing her love and dedication to the park with hand sanitizer in hand. Despite the potential risk, she helped Riverbend run programs safely. She prepared food and washed dishes for the Native American Campfire Cookouts and stayed until the end of the nighttime programs to make sure the naturalist got out of the park safely. Last fall, she was the first to raise a hand to help with the new Halloween Mystery at the Cabin program.
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