After bitter winter weather necessitated the rescheduling of a friendly get-together under safer circumstances, the recent April rehearsal “camp” weekend saw Jersey Surf Parent Liaison and past Volunteer Coordinator Terri Ives host a casual luncheon celebrating the contributions of the many volunteers from the 2018 season. Volunteers mingled with members of the Jersey Surf Board of Directors and administrative team and discussed their experience.
“Volunteering on tour last year was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. It was like running a marathon every day,” said Mandy Hayungs about her experience volunteering with The Surf. Mandy got involved with Surf when her son started marching in the 2018 season. Since then, she has assisted with fitting corps members uniforms and has helped to prep, cook and serve countless meals, lending a hand whenever one was needed.
Many Surf volunteers are also parents of current marching members, while others are parents of former marching members, or fans of the marching arts in general, looking to assist the organization in its service to young adults. “I started volunteering to watch my sons. Pretty quickly, I had well over 100 sons and daughters. I could not think of any place I’d rather be than sharing the love on tour with Jersey Surf… with my family,” said Keith Bogen, Jersey Surf Merchandise Manager. In addition to selling Surf merchandise at camps and on the road, Keith assists with on-site logistics as well as meal prep.
The Surf organization is still looking for a few more energetic volunteers to donate a week or more of their time on tour. Our greatest needs are currently:
• One additional non-CDL driver for July 12-19
• Food crew during June 7-22, July 12-26, and August 1-6.
We would love to have you volunteer with us at any date that fits with your schedule! Please contact Jersey Surf Volunteer Coordinator Katie Liming (kliming@jerseysurf.org) for more information or to sign up to volunteer.