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Become a Volunteer! From year-round horticultural and maintenance help to seasonal support in the Mansion, wine center, gift shop, admissions, transportation and special events areas, Sonnenberg needs your skills and service! The work of preserving our historic buildings and grounds and educating the public who visit would be a daunting task were it not for our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers of all ages will find a bevy of ways their helping hands can benefit Sonnenberg. Below are descriptions of the many areas in which you are welcome to serve: Interested in coming aboard?
While many of our returning volunteers attended training this spring, we
always welcome newcomers! Please contact
Volunteer Coordinator Sue
Thompson at (585) 919-0087 for more information on how you can serve at
Sonnenberg! F |
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Mansion Docents: Do you enjoy learning about 19th & 20th century architecture and antiques and are not intimidated answering questions from small or large groups about them? Then consider becoming a Mansion docent! As our guests enter the Mansion, you will greet them and share a brief history of the Thompson family, directing guests through the first floor, as you point out the different rooms, and various architecture and furniture pieces. In 2008, our docents will also have the option of serving shifts in costume dress of the era. |
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Housekeepers: If you’re an expert with a dust mop, broom or wash cloth and make it your personal mission to wage war against dust, window streaks or wax build-up, we would love to welcome you as a housekeeper. Though our housekeepers primarily focus on keeping our Mansion and Carriage House neat and tidy for guests, other buildings and areas on the grounds also occasionally require special attention. |
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Walking Garden Guides: If you enjoy sharing details about sights with family and friends when you venture out for walks, why not become a walking tour guide? Some of our walking guides work with bus tour groups at varying times throughout the day, while others narrate our garden tour for guests at set times on weekdays and weekends. During training, each guide is given the same history and description of Sonnenberg’s gardens to share with guests on an approximately 45-minute tour. From there, you can determine the best narrative delivery for each group you guide, but we request the information presented remain consistent from guide to guide, and group to group. |
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Gardening & Flower Arranging: If you are happiest on your knees, tilling the ground, coaxing buds to bloom and tending to the particular soil, water and light needs of a variety of flowers, we invite you to become a Sonnenberg gardener. With nine formal gardens, numerous other beds and displays and an entire greenhouse complex to tend, there is never a shortage of weeding and watering to be done! And if you love designing lush and lovely floral arrangements from cuttings made several times each week, you may enjoy creating the many bouquets put on display in our Mansion by our team of Floral Arrangers. |
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Finger Lakes Wine Center Tasting Room Servers: If you enjoy learning more about New York wines and sharing that knowledge with others, taking up a post behind our tasting bar may be the perfect place for you. Our serving volunteers assist guests each day in choosing what wines to taste from our selection, which rotates daily. While you don’t necessarily need to be a wine connoisseur, we do ask that you know a little bit about wines to begin with, and be aware of what wines are being served on the days you volunteer. Some days, our servers welcome groups of up to 45 people for group tastings, so a volunteer also needs to feel comfortable chatting with a number of guests about our featured wines. |
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Tram Drivers: Like to give others a lift? Then try joining the ranks of Sonnenberg’s tram drivers, assisting individuals who may have trouble walking, as well as transporting guests to some of the main locales on the estate. Our regular tram route proceeds from the Admission area to the Mansion and back to our gift shop, Wine Center and café, however, tram drivers are occasionally asked to offer brief tram tours along our back garden path. Other tram drivers work special shifts on weekends, transporting wedding guests from our special entrance gate to the ceremony site and, following evening receptions, back to their cars at the main parking lot. Our tram drivers help serve on the “front lines” of our guests’ visiting experience. A familiarity with the local Canandaigua community may also prove helpful, as those riding may also ask about area restaurants and other attractions. |
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Office Assistants: Do you have an enthusiastic energy that carries through on the phone and in person? Would you like to be the first contact the public has with Sonnenberg? Are you comfortable handling several phone lines, sharing information with callers and keeping detailed records, such as reservations for special events? Our office assistants help answer questions and share information about our hours, services, special events, and Canandaigua community. They also take messages and make contact with our staffers. |
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Admissions Booth Agents: If you enjoy greeting guests and have prior computer and/or cash register experience, our Admissions Booth may provide the perfect fit! As the first faces our guests see on site, you will help visitors and groups feel warmly welcomed, handling their ticket transactions and sharing our self-guided grounds maps with most who will explore the estate on their own. We rely on our Admissions agents to share details about our High Noon Café’ and Finger Lakes Wine Center hours with all guests and direct them toward our Gift Shop, greenhouses and gardens. |
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Wedding Belles: (Greeters & Photo Shoot Escorts) Sonnenberg hosts many weddings during the summer, primarily on Saturdays and Sundays (and on occasion, Fridays.) Our Wedding Belles can be asked to work solo or in pairs, depending on the number of ceremony guests expected. Our Wedding Belles help welcome wedding guests checking in and boarding trams, as well as escorting bridal parties during photo shoots in the gardens. |
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Baking/Concessions/Food Service for Events: Calling all culinary specialists! If you’ve got special recipes to tempt palates or a flair for food service, there are numerous special events in our schedule in need of frugal gourmets or a whiz-bang kitchen crew. From the summertime teas served to our guests by costumed Victorian maids to hors d’oeuvres and dessert prep for our Mansion Mysteries or Moonlight Strolls, or helping man a food tent for other special events on grounds, there are plenty of events in need of delicious delicacies.
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Children’s Creativity Crew: If you enjoy working with school-age children, helping to educate them about the estate and activities at the turn-of-the-century, such as old-fashioned games, clothing/dress, literature, art and architecture, we invite you to join our Children’s Creativity Crew! As we continue to develop and expand our offerings to schools and children beyond tours and our Children’s Trail, we hope to include more “living museum” activities such as tea parties, lawn games, greenhouse exhibits, restoration of our hands-on Children’s Garden, and more. |
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Performance Arts/Acting: If you like dressing in costume, assuming the character of a bygone era, or sharing your musical, dance or other performing arts skills, Sonnenberg is in need of your talents! You can help set the mood at special events, from our summertime teas (served by costumed, Victorian maids) to our Mansion Mysteries (featuring the characters and fashions of earlier eras), and more to come. There are also several occasions throughout the season when we have need of musical performers or small ensembles to help create ambience and atmosphere for our guests. |
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Mowing/Maintenance/Utility: The physical maintenance and restoration of the estate is an on-going process, and skilled volunteers, as well as those willing to learn, are always welcome. Our nearly 50 acres of lawns need trimming on a weekly basis, so if mowing is one of your favorite pastimes, we’ve got a lawn tractor for you! In addition, we have ongoing cleaning & painting projects, installation of signage and specialty lighting for events, and plenty of regular electric utility, vehicle maintenance and repair work. This year, we will also be continuing restoration of the greenhouse conservatory complex. |
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Design/Decorating/Display: If you have an artist’s eye, excelling at decoration, interior design, and the “finishing touches” that create beautiful scenes and displays for guests to enjoy, we can use your assistance transforming parts of Sonnenberg into a visual delight! Beyond the hands-on decoration of rooms and display areas for special events or presentations, Sonnenberg also hopes to revive its former sewing guild, recreating beautiful and functional fashions of bygone eras. In 2007, volunteers in our “Candle Light Brigade” helped create and set up luminaries for our Moonlight Stroll Series.
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Research/Record-Keeping: From data entry and maintenance of our membership rolls, to profiling and tracking donations to our museum collection to maintaining historic archives and/or publications, we need skilled researchers and record-keepers who are great with details and eager to find facts. In 2007, for example, a special gallery exhibit on the 150th anniversary of our founders, the Thompsons, traced their history (and Sonnenberg’s!) for our visitors. |
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Public Promotions/Presentations: Literally lend your helping hand promoting special events or other Sonnenberg needs by hanging posters in public places, mingling with local merchants to garner support or passing out public notices or more. Or, assist our Marketing and Development Manager with presentations to service groups and clubs, schools or other community organizations. |
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| NYS Safety and Service Documents: The following safety and service documents are required for all Sonnenberg volunteers. | |||
| • NYS Service Form • Volunteer Safety Guide |
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| Join now! To become a volunteer, please click here to share more about yourself and your preferred service areas. You may also call (585) 394-4922 to request an application by mail. Volunteer Recruitment and Training Dates are held each April, prior to the start of our Garden Season, but training and support continues throughout the summer, and volunteers of all ages are welcome to apply anytime. (Please note: Those under 14 may need to be accompanied by a parent depending on the area of work.)
Or, email our Volunteer
Coordinator for more information. |
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Latitude 42.90 ( 42°, 53') - Longitude -77.27 (-77°, 16') |
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151 Charlotte Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 394-4922 |
© Designs by Bridgette - 2008 |
