Volunteers are the Heart of PBC Parks!
Volunteers are the heart of the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department (PBC Parks). They supplement our existing workforce, help us reach our goals, engage with the community and raise awareness about our facilities, programs and services. In 2022, PBC Parks’ volunteers contributed over 130,000 hours at nature centers, recreation centers, golf courses, and…
Volunteer Spotlight: Winnie Lo
Winnie has been a PBC Parks volunteer for the last five years, first volunteering at Green Cay Nature Center and then volunteering at Morikami Museum for the last two years. She is a “jack of all trades”! From day one, Winnie has been willing to assist and provide the Morikami with a wide variety of…
Volunteer Spotlight: Kathy Wolf
Kathy Wolf is a volunteer coach at West Boynton Recreation Center and has been a head coach in the Junior Volleyball League for the past 3 years. Kathy loves working with kids and is very passionate about teaching the youngest kids who are new to playing volleyball. Kathy enjoys bringing the kids up a level,…
Volunteer Spotlight: Robert Ullom
Robert Ullom has been an animal care volunteer at Okeeheelee Nature Center (ONC) for the past four years. He assists with the nature center’s normal operating procedures by taking care of both the indoor and outdoor education animals. This includes all types of animal husbandry, such as feeding and enclosure maintenance. However, Robert goes above…
Unique Docent Opportunity Available at the DuBois Pioneer Home
Volunteer docents at the Pioneer Home offer a look into Jupiter’s past and serve to broaden the public’s understanding of the unique cultural and historical landmark that sits in DuBois Park. Built atop a Native American shell rock mound by the DuBois family, the home is an excellent example of life in a self-sufficient pioneer…
Eagle Scout Project Complete at Daggerwing Nature Center
Daggerwing Nature Center congratulates Michael Yao, who, after over two years of planning and setbacks with the pandemic, completed his Eagle Scout project at the nature center. As part of the final project, Michael provided two Wood Duck nest boxes and built and installed seven Screech Owl nest boxes in the natural area. The Screech Owl…
Volunteer Spotlight: Sandy Gurian
Sandy Gurian has been a volunteer for 2 years at Green Cay Nature Center. She helps set the tone of the visit for patrons, as she is usually the first person seen by visitors. She greets visitors, assists with basic questions, helps with program reservations and answers the phone. She is very knowledgeable about all…
PBC Parks Participates in 2021 Great American Cleanup
On April 17 and April 24, 2021, volunteers ventured out to various PBC Parks and removed pounds of litter and recyclables in celebration of Earth Day and the Great American Cleanup initiative. The goal of the Annual Great American Cleanup is to influence individuals to participate in environmental stewardship actions for their local environment while…
Volunteer Spotlight: Eddie Ott
Edward “Eddie” Ott has been a volunteer for 11 years at John Prince Golf Learning Center. He picks up golf balls on the range and helps keep the fire ants under control by surveying the property in the hunt for anthills, so they can extinguish them before they cause patrons harm. He also helps keep…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour Fireside Chat: Ruth Nelms Merchant
The DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour – Fireside Chat series brings you short stories from relatives and friends of the DuBois family. In this episode, Ruth Nelms Merchant, the granddaughter of Harry and Susan DuBois, talks about how her mother, the daughter of Harry and Susan DuBois, learned to sew.
Volunteer Spotlight: Karen Gray, Friends of Jupiter Beach
25 years ago, Karen Gray and other Jupiter Beach residents started Friends of Jupiter Beach (FJB). The founder being Anita Lankler and the executive director, Karen Gray have always had a passion for keeping their home clean and educating others about conservation and stewardship for the environment. One of the main incentives for creating FJB,…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour: John Alden DuBois
The DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour – Fireside Chat series brings you short stories from relatives and friends of the DuBois family. In this episode, John Alden DuBois, the grandson of Harry and Susan DuBois, shares a little bit about how his grandfather put food on the table for his family.
Volunteer spotlight: The clean-up kids
On October 25, a dedicated group known as ‘The Clean-Up Kids’ participated in a beach cleanup on Ocean Ridge Hammock Park, where they filled up six trash bags! The total weight of trash collected was 90 pounds, and the total weight of recyclables collected was five lbs. The Clean-Up Kids is a volunteer group started…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour Fireside Chat: Skip & Geri Gladwin
The DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour – Fireside Chat series brings you short stories from relatives and friends of the DuBois family. In this episode, Skip and Geri Gladwin, siblings who lived in the home as kids, talk about their experience living in the home and area.
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour Fireside Chat: Ruth Nelms Merchant
The DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour – Fireside Chat series brings you short stories from relatives and friends of the DuBois family. In this episode, Ruth Nelms Merchant, the granddaughter of Harry and Susan DuBois, talks about how her grandmother became known as “The Honey Lady.”
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour: Episode 6
In this six-part series, DuBois Pioneer Home docents present virtual tours about the historic home, located inside DuBois Park and operated by PBC Parks. Each episode briefly covers a different topic; in Episode Six, docent Denise Vogel talks about the bedroom and some interesting items from the time period, including a rope bed, early 1900’s…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour Fireside Chat: Ruth Nelms Merchant
The DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour – Fireside Chat series brings you short stories from relatives and friends of the DuBois family. In this episode, Ruth Nelms Merchant, the granddaughter of Harry and Susan DuBois shares her story about how her parents met.
Volunteer Spotlight: Todd Greenstein
Todd Greenstein has been a volunteer for 6 years at Daggerwing Nature Center. Todd is an office assistant and his volunteer duties include data entry & management, administrative tasks, troubleshooting tech as needed for nature center staff and pretty much everything that is behind the scenes of the nature center. Todd is a tremendous assistant…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour: Episode 5
In this six-part series, DuBois Pioneer Home docents present virtual tours about the historic home, located inside DuBois Park and operated by PBC Parks. Each episode briefly covers a different topic; in Episode Five, docent Dorothy Cunningham talks about the layout of the home as it was originally built, as well as how construction has…
DuBois Pioneer Home Virtual Tour: Episode 4
In this six-part series, DuBois Pioneer Home docents present virtual tours about the historic home, located inside DuBois Park and operated by PBC Parks. Each episode briefly covers a different topic; in Episode Four, docent Donna Adair discusses the role of Native Americans – particularly the Seminole tribe – in Pioneer life, as well as…
Volunteer Spotlight: Brad Davis
Brad Davis has been a volunteer for 10 years at the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Complex. Brad works in all areas of the Therapeutic Recreation Complex. He helps assist at the reception desk with greeting customers, provides information about the facility and answers phone calls, and he helps with cleaning and setting up equipment for…
Volunteer Spotlight: Meghan and Taylor Morrison
Volunteer Spotlight: Meghan and Taylor Morrison have been volunteers at Okeeheelee Nature Center (ONC) for 6 months, where they work as greeters, education docents and animal caretakers. Providing quality animal care is necessary at ONC for their animals to remain healthy, especially since they have 23 animals inside the nature center to manage. Volunteering requires…
Volunteer Spotlight: Carlos “Carlito” Nerys
Carlito was known to “do it all”. He not only helped everyday at Green Cay Nature Center maintaining the boardwalk, cleaning, landscaping and more, but he was always willing to lend a hand with animal care andspecial projects, and he became a very strong advocate for wildlife conservation. Carlito attended every special event, and was…
Daggerwing Nature Center Volunteer awarded Annual Scott Cowan Memorial Scholarship
Friends of Daggerwing Nature Center, Inc. (FOD) announced the 2020 Scott Cowan Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Megan Mui. Megan has been a volunteer in the nature center’s gift shop since 2017 and has just graduated from North Broward Preparatory School, an AP Scholar with Distinction. She is also a 2020 National Merit winner.…
West Boynton Recreation Staff Helps Students Gain Employment Experience
Since 2018, staff at West Boynton Recreation Center have been welcoming students from Park Vista High School to the facility to provide valuable job training experience. It began in August 2018 with an off-campus job training program, and has since transitioned to include ESE students from the school. The students range from ages 18 to…
Volunteer Spotlight: Lorraine DiFrancisco
Lorraine DiFrancisco has been a volunteer at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens for the past four years. She serves as a general volunteer and is currently a docent-in-training at the facility. According to DiFrancisco, being in the docent program with her fellow docents means she can give tours to school groups, clubs, and organizations. She…
Local Students Help Increase Tree Canopy in Palm Beach County at Florida Arbor Day Event
The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and National Garden Clubs, Inc., Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. (FFGC) District X, and Plant America with Trees, together with more than 70 student volunteers from Latinos in Action, planted 27 native trees in John Prince Park on Saturday, January 18, in celebration of Florida Arbor…
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Okeeheelee Golf Course
Rick Ward, Arcade Duguay, and Tom Furmer are long-time, dedicated volunteers at Okeeheelee Golf Course. Ward has been a volunteer for three years, Furmer, for three and a half, and Duguay, for nine years. The men serve as player assistants and assistant starters for the golf course, meaning they monitor the flow of the game,…
Volunteer spotlight: Carole Rapport
Carole Rapport has been a volunteer at Daggerwing Nature Center for over seven years. She serves as the volunteer gift shop manager and is also the treasurer for Friends of Daggerwing Nature Center. Her involvement with the site ranges from the gift shop to volunteer management as well as working with the animals. Carole started…
Volunteer Spotlight: BARRY DRUCKER
Barry Drucker has been a dedicated volunteer for one year now at John Prince Golf Learning Center (JPGLC). Staff at JPGLC can always depend on Barry to help out whenever they need him and he always stays busy with light duties such as trash and debris, filling divots with sand, etc. In addition to those light duties,…
Volunteer Spotlight: Dorothy Cunningham
As a docent at the DuBois Pioneer Home, Dorothy gives tours of the home and shares its historical information, including its connection with pioneer history and Indian artifacts. Her willingness to engage with anyone as well as her incredible depth of knowledge is what makes Dorothy stand out as a volunteer. Her favorite thing about…
PBC Parks Hosts Beach Cleanup on National Skip the Straw Day
Boynton Beach residents Jessica and Sandy Rowley are a mother-daughter duo, who, for the past 25 years, have made a habit out of cleaning up parks and natural areas around the area to ensure a cleaner, safer community. So naturally, when they heard about Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation’s Skip the Straw Day Beach…
Volunteer Spotlight: Debbie DeLucco & Donna Adair
PBC Parks’ ‘Volunteer Spotlight’ highlights our talented and dedicated volunteers! Meet DuBois Pioneer Home volunteers, Debbie DeLucco and Donna Adair, two of the “original” Dubois Pioneer Home historical docents. Watch the video to learn about the dedicated volunteers – including what they enjoy most about being docents! Docents provide guests with quality, educational, and enriching…
Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Ryan
PBC Parks’ Volunteer Spotlight highlights our talented and dedicated volunteers! Meet DuBois Pioneer Home volunteer, Kim Ryan, one of the four “original” Dubois Pioneer Home historical docents. Watch the video to learn about Ryan – including why she volunteers and what reactions she gets from visitors! Docents provide guests with quality, educational, and enriching experiences…
Keep America Beautiful Grant, Lowe’s Help Plant Trees at County Pines Recreational Complex
Thanks to a $10,000 Lowe’s and Keep America Beautiful grant, County Pines Recreational Complex at Samuel Friedland Park now has new trees and mulch! The trees were planted in November, and mulch was spread by six Lowe’s Volunteers on November 30. The trees will give shade to a playground that will be installed in the…
Keep America Beautiful Grant, UPS Foundation Help Plant Trees in Stub Canal Park
New trees, plants, and mulch are now in Palm Beach County’s Stub Canal Park, thanks to a $5,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful and UPS Foundation volunteers. The trees and plants were planted in early October at the West Palm Beach park, which includes green space and a boat ramp popular among skiers. “Trees are probably…
Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation 