Finding Your People at Tremont

Written by Lisa Peterson, Tremont Institute Volunteer

Walt and I are relatively new volunteers at Tremont. Although we’ve been making treks to the Smokies since our kids were little, we only found our way to the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont after Walt enrolled in the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Program. Walt knew immediately that he had found his people among the staff and fellow learners who shared a deep passion for the natural world and an infectious enthusiasm for sharing that love with others:

“That first weekend at Tremont provoked a desire in me to reconnect with nature: a yearning I had not felt since I was a young boy playing in the woods behind my home. My parents didn’t really understand that passion, but here I was surrounded by an entire family of people who encouraged it. It was like coming home, and I knew immediately I wanted to support Tremont’s mission.”

It is a privilege to meet like-minded adults who make exposing children to the natural world a priority.

When a call went out for Citizen Science Day volunteers, Walt signed up, and I joined him. While he spent the morning parking cars, I greeted families who had come to explore the wonders that make up this magical place called Tremont. It is a privilege to meet like-minded adults who make exposing children to the natural world a priority. And it is a delight to share in a child’s excitement as he tells of spotting his first salamander, or she shows you the butterfly that is sitting on the tip of her finger and in no hurry to leave.

Since that initial volunteer experience, we have served as greeters for bird banding and extra hands for Homecoming. But my favorite volunteer experience to date is helping out in the Tremont store with school groups.

It is a delight to share in a child’s excitement as he tells of spotting his first salamander, or she shows you the butterfly that is sitting on the tip of her finger and in no hurry to leave.

Students and their teachers arrive for several days of experiential learning, and before they pack up, they shop. They arrive at the end of a very full day: dirty, a little smelly, often times wet, money (also wet) wadded up in their pockets. As a volunteer, my job is to meander among them, helping out with math (“Do I have enough for sweatshirt, a stuffed animal, and a sticker?”), and to help them unwad their cash to streamline the check out process.

I am among young people intent on taking home a piece of the Smokies because this place has touched their hearts, and that touches mine.

It’s mom-stuff really. But while answering questions and sorting out soggy money, I also have the privilege of hearing their stories from the weekend, and witnessing the profound impact Tremont has made on them very quickly. So rather than helping souvenir shoppers, I am among young people intent on taking home a piece of the Smokies because this place has touched their hearts, and that touches mine.

View a list of our 2018 volunteers at gsmit.org/2018-volunteers.