The North Jersey Section is continually recruiting volunteers to do the work of the section. We have recently recruited three new volunteers who have already started working. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for volunteering and show what they are doing.
How do I find volunteers? Well as a Chemistry Ambassador, I do it by giving my elevator speech everywhere I go. Tradition has it that men do a lot of business in the locker room of the golf club or gym. Well women have gotten into this action as well and we talk in the locker room of the YMCA. I found two women there who turned out to be chemists. One of them is semi retired from EXXON Mobil her name is Margaret. Margaret worked with me at Rutgers/Ag Day in April. The other woman has just been recruited by me in the Y her name is Lori she is a tutor now but did work as a chemist before her son was born.
Some volunteers seek me out, one of them is Penelope (Tawanna) who was a chemical technician and is now studying for a degree in chemistry. She contacted me two years ago about an Earth Day event in Irvington. She is now the Earth Day and National Chemistry Week Poster Contest organizer.
Another woman who contacted me by phone while I was on vacation in Martha's Vineyard is Dodda. She said she saw the information about recruiting volunteers on our website and wanted to volunteer! She has done an outstanding effort of volunteering. She introduced us to the 4H Club in Somerset County. We have participated in the Science day that they organized and the 4H fair last August. She and I were the pioneers on the street fairs; the first one was before we had our tent, which we now have. Both of us operated the booth with the help of Bill Suits who was the person to put up and take down the tent. Dodda is now only going to do volunteer work in the schools before she leaves to really retire. We want to thank her very much for all the work she did. She became my right hand in organizing street fairs and other events.
Figure 3 Dodda explaining something
The Younger Chemist Committee is becoming another source of volunteers. Chenghua and Michelle came to us and worked the table at the Ag/Rutgers Day event last April.
The other source of volunteers is the Teacher Affiliate Group Eve came to help at Science Day in the 4H Club and the 4H Fair.
Figure 4 Eve at AG Day
Members of the executive committee also volunteer but in this article, I want to highlight the work of the newest volunteers.Why this article? Well it is to tell you that you can join this happy group of volunteers. Alternatively, I should say become a Chemistry Ambassador (www.acs.org/chemistryambassador) as the ACS is calling volunteers. Volunteer opportunities are listed on our website www.njacs.org and Volunteer Match. www.volunteermatch.org. the same opportunities will be listed there.
Hope you will join us at National Chemistry Week events at Liberty Science Center October 23 and at the USA Science and Engineering satellite event at the New Jersey Science and Engineering Festival in Clifton October 23 & 24.
Jeannette Brown
Publicity Chair
