Nature Discovery Center

                                The Nature Discovery Center

Every month, I volunteer at the Nature Discovery Center in Bellaire as a docent. I am responsible for giving tours of our exhibits to visitors and handling live animals so they can pet them. I also help with the Annual Pumpkin Patch. I typically am a docent during the Pumpkin Patch, but I also help people purchase pumpkins. This year, I might try helping out with one of the games at the Pumpkin Patch, which is something that I haven't done before.

In addition to helping with Pumpkin Patch, I am going to be going to the Nature Discovery Center with my National Charity League chapter to help them make centerpieces for the gala they have coming up. The Nature Discovery Center was recently added as one of our "philanthropies", which means it is one of the places we go to do community service. 

I think that by volunteering at the Nature Discovery Center, I am demonstrating skills of working collaboratively and recognizing the benefits of it. By being a docent, I have to work with the staff at the Nature Center. The way that I work with the staff is by checking in with my supervisor to make sure everything is running smoothly. I also have to work with other people as a docent. The main part of my job is talking to people and helping them about the animals we have. When I am working at the Pumpkin Patch, I have to collaborate with the other people who are working there, and with my National Charity League group, I have to collaborate with the other members to make the centerpieces. 

There are two major benefits that I have recognized from this. The first one is that I am gaining public speaking skills. Every time I show someone the animals in our exhibits, I have to give a sort of mini-presentation, which helps a lot with public speaking. The second major benefit I have recognized is communication in a job - like setting. Before every time I go to docent at the Nature Discovery Center, I have to email my supervisor telling her that I am coming and how long I am planning to stay. I also have to tell her when I can't make it due to a conflict.