Volunteer Spotlight: Carol Schultz

Meet Carol! Carol has been a dedicated Volunteer at Turtle Bay for over 20 years! We sat down with her to hear more about her experience and love for Turtle Bay.

“I have been a volunteer at Turtle Bay for over twenty years. When I first joined, volunteers were asked to attend a series of classes before we became full-fledged docents/volunteers. We were treated to speakers on the subjects of geology, vulcanology, archaeology, and horticulture. We learned about local fish. We learned about local indigenous peoples. We took field trips to explore our native flora. We listened to rangers from Whiskeytown and Lassen National Parks. We learned a lot. I was fortunate to join The Pond in early 2004 and watch the Sundial Bridge being built; I joined the First Walk on July 04, 2004 - and met Santiago Calatrava!

At first i volunteered as a docent in the museum interacting with guests: I also remember setting up a table with feet from various birds to explain how we can learn a lot about what a bird does for a living. Kids especially loved that.

Then I started working with Julia Cronin and her fantastic team; I have a BA in Art History and had hoped to work in a museum someday. Working with Julia and her team has allowed me to achieve that aspiration. It has been a treat to retrieve items from collections and help arrange them in the exhibition hall; I also helped create the Redding Archives in 2007. The highlight of my experience was co-curating a quilt exhibition in 2012. Some were sturdy enough to hang, others had to be gently reinforced, my fingers were sore from wielding a needle. It was a joy to see the Visitors response to the show. I have enjoyed being part of opening nights, showing off our work and helping visitors understand what they are seeing. In doing so, i learn more myself! I have gotten more from my volunteer experience than i have given. it has been great fun.”