April is National Volunteer Month, and to highlight the important role of volunteers the DeKalb County History Center and Ellwood House Museum are presenting “Part of the Story: Spotlight on Volunteers” during the upcoming Brown Bag/Local Lore program on April 1. Their discussion will explore the variety of projects that reflect the essential role of volunteers.

The presentation will include a conversation about how volunteers help these organizations and other history groups throughout the county to meet their mission. It is not a talk about volunteer opportunities, but a showcase of the important work that volunteers accomplish.

“Volunteers are a vital part of our work. Even during COVID, volunteers have adapted to helping with off-site projects such as transcribing records written in cursive, to reviewing census records, and even helping us create and edit videos,” explained Michelle Donahoe, Executive Director at the DeKalb County History Center. Audrey King, Curator of Education and Interpretation at Ellwood House Museum continued, “Our organizations are here to serve our communities, and having an active volunteer base that represents different interests, abilities, and personal histories really helps us build connections.”

This will be a virtual program through Zoom on Thursday, April 1 at 12:00p.m. To register visit the DeKalb County History Center’s website and there will be a link at the bottom of the homepage https://www.dekalbcountyhistory.org/events/brown-bag-local-lore-volunteer-appreciation-month/. This program will also be recorded and available to view afterwards on the History Center’s website. For more information email info@dekalbcountyhistory.org or call 815-895-5762.

Photo: April 1 Brown Bag/Local Lore program features “Part of the Story: Spotlight on Volunteers.” Note image is from 2019.