There’s something special about volunteering in a place where you can hear lions roaring.
Where the walk to your work site passes silly goats balancing on boulders.
Where your lunch break is in sight of river otters splashing in a pool.
No wonder the Akron Zoo attracts up to 150 volunteers a year. They include folks who attend to visitors during special events, or commit themselves to becoming experts so they can answer questions at their favorite exhibits, or even learn how to handle snakes and chinchillas.
Over the next few months, the Akron Beacon Journal is taking the mystery out of what it means to be a volunteer by offering a step-by-step guide on how to get involved with a Summit County institution.
In a previous story, we explained what’s involved with volunteering at the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank.
Today: How to volunteer at the Akron Zoo.
Last year, the zoo’s paid staff of 100 was supplemented by 127 adults — many of them serving in a role called “edzoocators” — and about 25 teens who apply to be “Jr. Interpreters.”
Combined, the volunteers donated more than 14,000 hours of their time to give Akron Zoo visitors a personalized experience that few zoos can match.
Unlike some places where volunteers can simply show up and put their elbow grease to work, zoo volunteers commit to a little bit of training, some self-education, and at least 25 hours of volunteer work a year.
Signing up
I started the process by visiting https://www.akronzoo.org/volunteer and filling out a brief application form. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
This is the perfect time to get that form in. Potential volunteers will be notified soon of a date in March or April when the zoo will host its next volunteer introductory session.
The sessions are held twice a year and typically limited to about 20 people. That gives the staff time to chat with each applicant to determine if the zoo is, indeed, a “good fit” for a volunteer’s expectations, said Autumn Russell, director of education.
The website gave me an idea of what kind of help the zoo is looking for, but Russell filled in more detail:
• Animal lovers interested in sharing their knowledge can train to become “roamers.” Have a particular interest in penguins or grizzly bears? Learn everything you can about your favorite animals, then check yourself into the zoo and hang out at their exhibits to answer visitors’ questions.
• Many special events couldn’t happen without the help of volunteers. The popular Boo at the Zoo requires 50 warm bodies for each of its six nights. Others volunteers have served Snack With Santa and Breakfast With the Bunny, assisted vendors setting up for Party for the Planet, and poured beer at Brew at the Zoo.
• Help shepherd youngsters and assist zoo educators at various zoo camp programs.
• Commit to at least five hours a month and get some experience under your belt, and you could become an animal handler that introduces visitors to snakes, chinchillas, armadillos, turtles and other small animals.
• Land lovers have a place at the zoo, too, where the horticulture staff needs help planting and weeding gardens.
• Greeters meet guests as they arrive at the zoo, directing them to bathrooms, the ticket counter, or corralling school bus groups.
There are perks to being a volunteer. Depending on the number of hours served, benefits range from free tickets to a family membership to store discounts. A committee also puts together special bonding events for volunteers to get to know each other.
If you are aged 14-18, you can apply for the Jr. Interpreter volunteer program, a “real-world idea” of what it’s like to work at a zoo a couple of days each week through the summer, Russell said.
Registration is limited to 25 teens who submit essays and letters of recommendation and go through an interview process. Those accepted pay a $100 fee that covers the cost of a uniform and backpack kit.
The juniors are taught how to operate the zoo’s touch tanks and invite visitors to explore “discovery carts” filled with pelts, feathers, eggs and skulls.
Showing up
Since I didn’t have time to go through the necessary training, I opted to shadow some experienced volunteers at the zoo’s December Wild Lights event, the park’s first holiday lights celebration in nearly two decades.
They had responded to an email asking for help on several nights during the month. The shifts would last four hours and be split between Santa Land or making s’mores at outdoor fires.
The workers wore baby blue uniform T-shirts that they are required to buy for $7, but many also sported Akron Zoo outerwear that were an optional purchase.
During a brief organizational meeting a half hour before the gates opened, it was decided the team working the outdoor s’mores station would switch with Santa’s indoor helpers after two hours to give them a chance to warm up.
On the job
Strolling between the two stations, I soon learned about what motivates the volunteers.
Supervising families at the s’mores fire was Debbie Hissong of Seville, who said she waited most of her adult life for her kids to grow up and leave for time to volunteer at the zoo.
“I wanted to do it 10 years ago but my kids were so involved with things, I couldn’t find the time,” she said. “But I’m a zoo person. We even do zoo-cations.”
Helping guide families to Santa was Linda Van Fossen, who has been volunteering at the zoo for 16 years. The retired fitness instructor has done everything from helping in the office to being an animal handler.
Van Fossen said staff makes the volunteers feel like a valued part of the family: “They are really interested in what we have to say. We help plan some of these events and they really listen to our feedback.”
At a nearby table helping children pen letters to Santa was Leah Chizman, a University of Findlay student who wants to be a veterinarian. She started volunteering in 2015 and often helps out during her visits home to Stow — and not because she needs community service hours.
“I just like being around animals, and this made sense,” she said.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.