Family Volunteering: Joy and Patience Ben-Israel

All four of the Ben-Israel sisters have spent some time at the Natural Science Center, being involved as a volunteer or as a visitor. Patience, currently in 8^th grade, says that her parents really love both the museum and the zoo and they believe that volunteering at the Natural Science is enjoyable and rewarding for their daughters. Without the usual difference between what parents want to think and what children actually think, the Ben-Israel sisters do actually enjoy their time at the Science Center.

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Joy Ben-Israel is a sophomore in high school, though she technically attends home school like her sisters. She has been volunteering at the Science Center for nearly two years. Soon after she began volunteering, she completed docent training so she could work in the zoo. She enjoys the zoo the most because she loves animals. In particular, her favorite station to work, and animals to visit, is the tigers.

Joy’s favorite memory of docenting was at the tiger exhibit on a hot day last summer. Both tigers had been sunning themselves and had apparently grown too hot. Seeking shelter from the heat, both tigers jumped into their larger pool. They both splashed and played a little before lying down to rest and cool off in the shade.

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The start to Patience’s volunteering was slightly less voluntary. Her parents urged her to come and try it out eight months ago, and she has loved it since. Unlike her sister, Patience works inside the museum instead of out in the zoo. She works primarily in Kid’s Alley, supervising both the play areas and the ship. Though she also worked in the Bodies Revealed exhibit, she prefers to stay with the kids.

She says that it’s hard to pick out her favorite moment, but when asked about experience, she jokes that “she’s getting quite a bit of excellent free babysitter training.” She also remarked how valuable the experience in general has been and how she’s met some good friends and close contacts. Patience summed up her thoughts on it by saying that she’s simply glad she gets to volunteer with kids, whom she really likes, but that being here at the Science Center is definitely a big bonus.

**Indeed, National Volunteer Week is over. These interviews were completed, but unable to be posted, last week. I still wanted to post them though, and I will not be held down by the calendar.