6 minute read
Volunteers Are the Life of MAC’s Parties
By Jake Ten Pas
Imagine Halloween before Amazon. Everything wasn’t always at everyone’s fingertips, and come October, people used to drive to physical stores to buy their costumes. Some folks say there were even those who made their own from scratch, but that’s probably just a scary bedtime story to ensure kids follow the rules and don’t get their iPads taken away. Or is it?
Back in grade school, Family Events Committee member Sarah Burns remembers her mom, Lizabeth Tyler, staging elaborately themed birthday parties for her and friends. “Those parties growing up were all next level, and she did it without Amazon,” she says. “We had a shipwreck party where we literally burned the edges of the invitations, scrolled them, put them in glass bottles, and delivered them to people’s houses.”
So, what happens when people this crafty get access to the resources and events professionals of Portland’s premier social and athletic club? They create happenings so memorable that they practically guarantee kid attendees will be talking about them decades down the road, just as Burns reminisces about her own childhood soirees. And with a population as big as MAC’s, the impact is multiplied exponentially, meaning such memories spread like wildfire or, in honor of Halloween, urban legends.
Service Isn’t Scary
“You’re the orange, they’re the juicer,” Burns says of MAC’s Events team. Which isn’t to say they’re putting the squeeze on volunteers — quite the opposite! Both Burns and Tyler attest to the ease of working with club employees such as Kenna Reid and Lauren Flaherty when planning and executing events. In the previous metaphor, the orange represents the member volunteer, who simply needs to show up, and the Events team takes it from there.
“The staff support you in such an incredible way,” Burns continues. “It allows you to be involved in whatever way you choose. You just give them your ideas, feedback, vendors — and they take it from there. The obligation has actually been less than I anticipated.”
As experienced volunteers, Burns and Tyler know of what they speak. The latter has been a nurse and clinical educator in the Puget Sound area for much of her life, and regularly has given her time to related causes, as well as volunteering with her church. Burns previously served as president of the Junior League of Portland, and remains involved with her kids’ school’s Parent Teacher Committee. Both are well acquainted with Robert’s Rules of Order and say MAC’s committees, staff liaisons, and event planners function like well-oiled machines, combining project management and organizational acumen with can-do attitudes.
Speaking of viscosity, Burns has made quantities of slime that would impress the special effects team on a Ghostbusters movie in preparation for MAC’s annual Halloweenweekend festivities. Tyler, on the other hand, is known as a master of disguise, regularly donning costumes ranging from a mad scientist to a Lego figure to delight club kids.
Both were heavily involved with the planning of the recent Mother-Son Lego Party, and say that their suggestion of working with Bricks & Minifigs created essentially a plug-and-play experience that was easy for everyone involved.
“Still, they needed a Lego man, so they called me,” Tyler says, laughing. “My kids think I like doing this and I do, but it’s not like I’m chomping at the bit. I do it because it satisfies me to see kids happy.” Grandkids, too, as it turns out.
Burns is the mother of three children, Henry (7), Charlie (5), and Gemma (9 months), and notes that being a part of formulating club events allows her family to connect with others and strengthen community bonds. Tyler points out that not only does pitching in allow her a creative outlet and give her a sense of agency over aspects of
MAC that are important to her, but she also oftentimes emerges from the process with expanded horizons. “It has helped me grow in ways that I might not have otherwise. You can have an experience on a committee that allows you to learn more about something you’re already interested in.”
Proof Is in the Party
At the end of Oct. 26, the success of the club’s Halloween celebration won’t be measured by how creative parents and grandparents were, what they learned, or their sense of ownership over the programs that improve so many lives. The unit of measurement will be the number of smiles and quantity of awe visible on their kids’ and grandkids’ faces.
Volunteers plan to dress as mummies and Frankenstein’s monsters, hand out candy, and concoct elaborate miniature haunts in the trunks of their cars. Previously, Tyler has helped attendees walk the plank at a Piratethemed tableau and fish for fun in a bubbling witch’s cauldron. She and Burns explain that a lot of thought goes into what club juniors enjoy and how they can break down highconcept plans into easy-to-enjoy experiences.
“Sarah’s kids love the MAC, or as they call it, the MAC MAC,” Tyler says. “Giving back to events like these mean spending more time together as a family, and that connection is the most important thing.”
“I think it’s essential for families, especially young families, to have an opportunity to connect in social environments, allowing them to see their kids having fun together,” Burns points out. If that means mixing eye contact solution, shaving cream, and glue to cook up slime in MAC’s kitchen, or borrowing a large model of the human mouth from a dental hygienist friend to demonstrate the elephant toothpaste they’ve spent hours perfecting, so be it.
“How do we make life more memorable for our kids in special ways like my mom did for me growing up?” Burns asks by way of explaining her motivation. “The idea is to spark joy for your children, right?”
Volunteer for Upcoming Club Events
Turkey Trot
7-10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 Register
Holiday Decorating
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29- Monday, Dec. 2 Register
Holiday Undecorating
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3-Saturday, Jan. 4 Register
Children’s Holiday Party
8:30-10 a.m., 9:45-11a.m. & 10:45 a.m.-noon Tuesday, Dec. 10 Register starting Oct. 9 at themac.com
Jingle Bell Run
8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 Register
