The Maritime Aquarium Is Looking for Volunteers — Could You Be One?

The Maritime Aquarium is holding a Fall training course for folks interested in volunteering.  The class starts Oct. 3.  Required informational meetings are Sept. 19 and 26 (attend one).

We get volunteers from throughout the area — adults on weekends; retirees on weekdays; and teens looking to accumulate community-service hours for their college applications.

[Editor’s note: What follows is an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium, the two paragraphs above (with slight wording changes) are from an email from a spokesman for the aquarium that carried the announcement.]

Pursue your interest in marine animals — and share your knowledge and enthusiasm with others — by becoming a member of the volunteer staff at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Interviews for potential volunteers will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 19 and Tuesday, Sept. 26, on both days at 5 p.m. (You need attend only one.)

“Helping visitors, especially children, learn about Long Island Sound is personally rewarding and crucial in building public awareness about issues affecting our local environment,” said Lisa Slinsky, assistant director of volunteers and community Service.

“The volunteer program is vital to the mission of The Maritime Aquarium and its educational goals. Plus, it’s a fun way to join up with a group of people who have similar interests.”

Prior knowledge about marine animals isn’t necessary to be a Maritime Aquarium volunteer. That’s what will be taught in a four-week training course, which will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 3 to Oct. 24.

You must be at least 15 years old to sign up.

Adults are especially needed for weekday time slots.

Most volunteers serve as “gallery ambassadors,” helping visitors learn more about the represented animals of Long Island Sound, from crabs and sea stars to seals and sharks. There are also needs for behind-the-scenes office and special-event volunteers.

The minimum time commitment required from volunteers is 100 hours, at four hours per week for weekday volunteers and four hours per month for weekend staff. Letters of recommendation and other service-award forms will be signed by our staff at the completion of 100 hours of service.

A $40 fee covers the costs of training materials and uniforms. Volunteers receive discounts in the gift shop, Cascade Café and on many programs.

Advance registration is required for the interview sessions and volunteer training course.

To get more details and learn how to sign up, go online to this Maritime Aquarium Web page or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2225.

About the Maritime Aquarium

The Maritime Aquarium is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate visitors about — and to create stewards for — Long Island Sound.

It accomplishes this by allowing visitors to get close to more than 250 species native to the Sound and its watershed, including sharks, seals, sea turtles, river otters, jellyfish and other animals.

One of the top places for family fun in Connecticut, the Aquarium also features hands-on educational programs and displays, public study cruises out onto the Sound, and Connecticut’s largest IMAX movie theater, with a screen that’s six stories high. TripAdvisor.com reviewers rate the Maritime Aquarium as one of the Top 20 aquariums in the U.S. and No. 1 in New England.

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution whose mission is to inspire people of all ages to appreciate and protect the Long Island Sound ecosystem and the global environment through living exhibits, marine science and environmental education.

The Maritime Aquarium receives support from the State of Connecticut DECD’s Offices of Culture and Tourism.