Volunteer Opportunities

Recognizing our Volunteers

The MMBC celebrates Joyce Metson’s 20th year as a volunteer, 1993 – 2013

The Maritime Museum of BC acknowledges longtime volunteer Joyce Metson for her 20 years of dedicated service, clocking close to 4,000 hours of volunteer time. Joyce is an inspiration to her colleagues at the Museum and is a very kind and generous person. Joyce chose to volunteer because she had been around sailors and ship talk most of her married life putting her on familiar ground. She first started in the office typing and filing and after some years, Joyce moved to the Museums’ front desk where she has been for the past two years. Joyce is a patient mentor the younger volunteers who love to work with her. She has so done many things for the Museum including helping with events, coordinating volunteers and fostering a sense of community whenever she is present. The Museum is in a debt of gratitude for the many years of service that Joyce has given and we look forward to her continued service for many years to come.

 

Joyce was born in Rocanville, Saskatchewan and moved to the lower Fraser Valley at an early age. She lived and was educated in Port Kells near Cloverdale and attended Business College in New Westminster. Joyce’s first job was as a stenographer with the Bank of Montreal in White Rock. She met her husband Brick in 1952 while working for the Bank of Montreal in Nelson and was married two years later in Cloverdale. Joyce and Brick have three sons, Eric, Kirk and Scott. They moved to Victoria in 1955 where Brick was at sea for long periods, especially in the early years of marriage.

“Joyce almost single handedly raised our boys during those years when I was away so much of the time,” remembers Brick.

The couple chose that Joyce would not work while the boys were growing up and outside of a brief time after first moving to Victoria, she did not return to work until their youngest son, Scott was almost through high school. Joyce was hired by the TD bank at Saanich Plaza as the manager’s secretary and rapidly rose to the top level of her job category. She took early retirement in 1992 and did some contract work for the bank before retiring completely. Soon after, she took up volunteering running a small lending library at Oak Bay Lodge. Joyce enjoys the theatre and is addicted, we are told, to crossword puzzles in the Globe and Mail and New York Times. Joyce is recovering from a previous injury and is looking forward to getting back to her front desk post very soon.

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Would you like the opportunity to work in a unique and fun environment? The MMBC is currently looking for volunteers for various positions: 

Museum Front Reception, Admissions and Gift Shop Volunteers
Our shift hours are 10:00 am – 1:30 pm and 1:30 – 5:00 pm, Saturdays and Sundays. Thursday night and Friday night from 5 pm to 9 pm.

Requirements are: 

  • Able to work 3.5 hour shifts from either 10am to 1:30 or  1:30 to 5pm
  • Evening shifts available throughout the summer, four hour shifts 5 pm to 9 pm
  • Volunteers are needed throughout the week, but weekend availability is an asset
  • Retail experience an asset
  • Customer Service skills an asset
  • Good telephone skills and manner an asset
  • Operate a cash register and point of sale experience
  • Museum knowledge and interest /or Maritime history an asset

Pirate School Volunteers Summer 2012 For the Young Maritimey People ARRR!
We are looking for enthusiastic people with a lot of energy to work at our Maritime Museum Pirate School. Experience working with children is an asset, however not a necessity – we just ask that you have a lot of patience and the ability to be creative and not be afraid to act like a pirate. In addition to Pirate Character, this position requires a mature and responsible person as you will be working with children. Pirate School tasks include: helping children out with craft activities, face-painting and painting fake tattoos, creating balloon swords, teaching children about life as a pirate, how to speak like one and the art of balloon sword fights. You will be helping the program coordinator to set up and take down the camps each day and preparing craft materials and games.

Gallery Interpreters and Museum Guides
The museum’s galleries and programs require interpretive guides at a variety of levels. Our interpretive program includes; General Museum Highlight Tours, Full Comprehensive Museum Tours, Special Gallery Interpretive Tours, and Special Interest Interpretive Talks.  General Floor Guides are also welcome, a friendly informative face in our exhibits area makes the difference in making our guests feel welcome and engaged.

Exhibit Maintenance
Exhibit maintenance is a very important function for museums. We have a regular and ongoing program for maintaining and cleaning the museum exhibits; training will be provided. The team works a 2 hour shift every Thursday. Please bring comfortable work clothes.

Museum Special Events
We require ongoing volunteer help with event hosting, elevator operator, refreshment table, set-up and take-down and security. Some work requires one to be able to lift up to 15 lbs. Most of our events happen in the evening. If you would like to be a part of our events, please contact us.

Museum Media Readers
The museum is tracking, documenting and archiving the museum’s media activities. In your daily reading, we are looking for any newspaper, magazine or online article written about the Maritime Museum, or anything in association with the museum, including interests of the museum such as the Japan Tsunami.  If you come across words of interest, please clip, copy or document URL and indicate the date, publication and page number of each article. Drop off any time to the museum c/o Jillan.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Museum for these or other exciting positions, please contact Jillan Valpy, our Volunteer Coordinator at 250-385-4222, ext. 101 or email jvalpy@mmbc.bc.ca.