THUNDER BAY — Ten volunteers who have donated well over a thousand hours of their time to the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society in the past four years have been honoured for their generosity.
The awards were presented at the museum’s annual president’s reception earlier this week.
The museum’s volunteer of the year award went to Jeff Mundy, as chosen by consensus of staff and the board. According to a press release issued by the museum on Friday, Mundy has been a volunteer since 2021.
“In particular, his efforts in assisting in the archives and helping secure essential donations for the collection have been outstanding,” the release stated. “Jeff is also a consistent volunteer for bingos, helping raise thousands for the society.”
Eight other individuals were celebrated for contributing 100 or more hours since 2021 (the year the museum’s volunteer program was reconstituted, according to the release). They include Fred Hopper, Emma Warren, George Patterson, Debbie Pesheau, Jacob Rapai, Elijah Sylvestre, Dale Willis, and Donna Gilhooly. They’ve helped out in areas as diverse as administration, education, curatorial, publications, archives, and fundraising.
Michael Beaulieu, past president of the board and a long-time museum volunteer, was feted for contributing more than 500 hours since 2021.
In total, the museum said that volunteers have contributed over 8,800 hours since 2021.
“Our volunteers bring unique skills, experience, personal and professional networks, and other qualitative impacts that are not easily measured,” said the release. “Their contributions enable the staff and other volunteers to achieve greater levels of excellence.”
