“I volunteer because I enjoy being with people and getting into conversations with them”, said Ellamay or “Ellie” Balas, an RSVP volunteer at the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Museum. Ellie has been a volunteer at the museum for 6 years – giving tours, answering questions and working for 6 weeks each Spring with local 4th graders during “Immersion Days.” The goal of Immersion Days at Hugh Moore Park is to be educational and fun, and it is clear that the hands-on learning facilitated by the staff is truly making its mark on students.
A resident of the area for over 30 years, Ellie never tires of learning more about its history. Ellie believes that “history is ongoing and a stretching of one’s brain. If we don’t keep learning, we lose what we know.”
Ellie Balas received one of the 2016 Volunteer of the Year Awards for her long and outstanding service to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Museum. Dennis School, Director of Education and Museum Services said about Ellie: “Ellie exemplifies the definition of volunteer. She steps up to the plate whenever asked, not because she’s feels it’s a social duty, but because she wants to. I have worked with Ellie on Immersion Days and Freemansburg field trips, as well as a museum guide, and she has always provided the public with an accurate and interesting interpretation of history relating to the development of the D&L Corridor. She is equally at ease with children and adults.”
Volunteering through RSVP is a wonderful way to give back to your community and also learn new things and meet new people – just ask Ellie!!