DA VINCI
SCIENCE CENTER NAMES 2008 VITRUVIAN VOLUNTEERS
The Da Vinci Science Center recently honored four dedicated men and women with its 2008 Vitruvian Volunteer Awards.
The highest honor the Center bestows on its volunteers, the award is named after Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man rendering. An iconic infusion of sublime art and exquisite detail, the Vitruvian Man represents an ideal of balance, proportion, and harmony. In that spirit, the Vitruvian Volunteers are chosen because they represent an ideal of enthusiasm, inspiration, and commitment to organization’s mission.
The Da Vinci Science Center relies heavily on a team of nearly 115 active volunteers. Most volunteers work on the Center’s exhibit floor, guiding visitors and school groups. Other volunteers help maintain and build upon its infrastructure, run its retail store, and assist staff members with administrative tasks. During the 2007 fiscal year, Da Vinci Science Center volunteers contributed 11,295 hours of labor, said Frank Steslow, executive director and chief executive officer. Working with the Center’s 18 full-time staff members and a handful of part-time and seasonal employees, the volunteers help educate, inspire, and entertain tens of thousands of people annually.
“To say we could not do what we do without our volunteers would be a tremendous understatement,” Steslow said. “They not only allow us to serve the community in a profound way, they personify the intimate and rewarding visit that is emblematic of the Da Vinci Science Center experience.”
The 2008 Vitruvian Volunteer Award winners are:
Nancy Eckert
A retired nurse
and U.S. Army Veteran, Nancy of Allentown came to the Da Vinci Science Center
shortly before the 2005 opening of its Allentown location. Since 2006, she
has volunteered in the Center’s Development and Community Relations office.
Nancy has helped shape programming for older adults, assisted in managing
the volunteer team, and re-developed a system for maintaining the Center’s
fundraising files. She is also the Center’s unofficial resident nurse
and storyteller.
Doe Levan
Doe Levan of Allentown
also joined the Da Vinci Science Center shortly before its re-opening. When
she first arrived, she had little science experience, but learned by watching
and doing. She is now one of the Center’s most seasoned and respected
exhibit floor interpreters. Doe has also become the Center’s resident
clown, entertaining visitors on several occasions by passing out “brown-E’s”
and “clean-X’s.” Volunteering has always been a part of Doe’s
life. She has been a volunteer with the local Dream Come True organization
for 25 years and a variety of local theater companies for more than 30 years.
Charlie Uhler
Everyone knows when
Charlie Uhler of Slatington is in the building because they cannot help hear
his booming voice resonating throughout the exhibit floor. A retired teacher
of 35 years in the Northern Lehigh School District, Charlie has been with
the Center for a year as an exhibit floor interpreter. Charlie loves to help
visitors learn about cockroaches, dinosaurs, and his favorite, the fossilized
dinosaur dung. His love of teaching shines through each time he walks into
the Center and he shares that excitement with every visitor.
Joe Riggs
Ask any Da Vinci
Science Center visitor who has met Joe Riggs of Allentown – if they can
get through the crowd surrounding him – and one will inevitably get the
same response: “Joe’s a great guy!” Joe is a model exhibit
floor interpreter because of his creativity, his energy, his eye for detail,
and his passion for young visitors. In true Da Vinci Science Center fashion,
however, Joe tells others that he learns as much from the youngsters as they
learn from him.
The Da Vinci Science Center also honored several volunteers recently for reaching service milestones:
10-Year Service Pin: Ann Andres, Bethlehem.
5-Year Service Pin: Bob Allesch, Slatington; Ginny Allesch, Slatington; Marty Carhart, Emmaus; Johnny Johnston, Allentown; Evelyn Kelchner, Allentown; George Libricz, Bethlehem; Harold “Hoppy” Master, Coopersburg; Leroy Mock, Allentown; Mary Ann Roeder, Slatington; Dick Sipple, Emmaus; Sonia Sipple, Emmaus.
3-Year Service Pin: Gioia Corby, Bethlehem; Liz Master, Coopersburg; Marian Stolz, Allentown.
ABOUT DA VINCI SCIENCE
CENTER
The Da Vinci Science
Center is an independent non-profit organization that promotes hands-on science
learning through inquiry, highlights vibrant and important career opportunities
in science available to every young person, and encourages all people to be
curious and creative. The Da Vinci Science Center stresses the inquiry method.
Utilized by scientists and recognized as the most effective way to learn,
the inquiry method encourages questioning, experimenting actively, observing,
communicating results, and connecting all knowledge.
###
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||