Welcome to a new season of vibrant fun in Congress Square Park! Despite the rainy day, we are choosing to shine some sunlight on what makes Congress Square Park thrive. This year, we will be posting weekly Volunteer Shout Out’s to highlight our fabulous community of hardworking, helpers!
To kick off the season, I am so glad to announce our first shining volunteer, Julia! Julia began volunteering in January of 2018 and volunteered as an Event Ambassador during the 2018 season. She started volunteering after being a regular attendee of Congress Square Park Events. She described marking events on her calendar as “Must-see’s” while also enjoying the park on her walk home from work as a nice spot to simply rest in the sun for a few moments and hear some great music.
She began volunteering because she says, “I feel strongly about creating, preserving, and celebrating equitable public spaces that are accessible to all community members at all times, and providing a place for a broad spectrum of the arts to be showcased.” Her favorite part of being a part of Congress Square Park’s volunteer crew has been watching diverse groups of people make the space their own and seeing how it becomes a haven for human connection.
I asked Julia if she had a favorite memory in the Square and she shared a beautiful story with us: “A moment I think of often was during one of our Salsa lesson nights last summer. A young father approached the dance floor with his small daughter who was eager to participate but a little shy. He encouraged her saying ‘do your best and have fun!’, and the folks on the dance floor welcomed the little girl in and danced with her while her dad watched and took photos. It was such a special example of community members connecting with each other and with the art and music in the park in a meaningful and easy way.”
Finally, to get a sense of the full extent of Julia’s awesomeness, we asked her what her ideal day included. She says, “My perfect day has coffee, warm sunshine, music, and lots of laughing with friends. And tacos. Oh, and poutine. Also a cheeseburger. Two cheeseburgers.” If you ask me, that sounds like a fun day to be a part of! Also, she likes to do cartwheels. Another bonus.
Thank you, Julia for all that you have brought to the park as a volunteer! We appreciate you!
To meet Julia and other awesome volunteers in the park, check out one of our upcoming events here: http://congresssquarepark.org/events/
And to learn more about volunteering with us check out:http://congresssquarepark.org/volunteer/ OR contact: volunteer@congresssquarepark.org .