Wakulla Springs Donation Team
This team is the recipient of the 2023 Group Volunteer Award in Administration.
For many years, Friends of Wakulla Springs (FOWS) augmented fundraising with coin operated machines and a donation box at Lodge front desk. Ron, who had served as the Assistant Park Manager at Wakulla in years past, collected the in park CSO donations.
In retirement, he returned as a park volunteer and continued his work collecting in-park donations. Trudy Thompson and fellow Friends of Wakulla Springs volunteer, Helen McLaughlin, offered to help Ron with the monthly collection trips to the park.
In 2010, Friends of Wakulla Springs expanded their in-park fundraising efforts and installed collection boxes on the tour boats. This effort was in support of the Friends boat restoration campaign that garnered them the Florida State Parks Foundation Awards 2010 CSO Project Award.
Consequently, the increase in donations required a greater volunteer effort. Monthly visits became weekly to keep up with the increased fundraising. Ron continued his monthly service. Helen was replaced by Marie Anne Luber, who later was replaced by Barbara. Trudy and Barbara come weekly to empty the boat donation boxes.
This volunteer effort represents an essential task for the Friends of Wakulla.
The Friends of Wakulla Springs State Park Donation Collection Team has three members that include Ron Weiss, Trudy Thompson and Barbara Wilso.
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