By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
WALDPORT — Want to meet people from all over the world without leaving the central Oregon coast? If so, you might consider spending some time at Waldport’s Alsea Bay Bridge Visitor Center, which is actively seeking new volunteers.
“In the last fiscal year we had about 9,000 people come through from every state in the U.S. and 37 other countries,” says Tom Fullmer, executive director of the Waldport Chamber of Commerce. The chamber staffs and operates the center, which shares space in a building on the south end of the Alsea Bay Bridge with the Waldport Heritage Museum and chamber offices.
“Volunteering is an opportunity to meet people from literally all over the world,” says Fullmer, who’s in charge of recruiting and training volunteers at the center. “It’s an ideal gig for retired people — all our regulars are retired — and for new residents, it’s the best way to get to know your community.”
The center is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays during the summer, then 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. those days beginning Oct. 1 for the fall, winter and spring.
While new volunteers ideally commit to one day per week, a full day isn’t required. Neither is living in Waldport. What is needed, though, are reliable people comfortable greeting visitors, helping with maps and brochures, and interested in sharing the attractions of the Oregon coast.
In return, volunteers enjoy 50 percent discounts on all merchandise (hoodies, hats, mugs, etc.), plus invitations to all chamber functions, like the ice cream social in September at JillyBeanz.
But it isn’t the goodies and the invitations that attract volunteers like Thelma Cox of Waldport, who has volunteered at the center for two years.
“I needed something to do when I moved here from Klamath Falls,” says Cox. “I like talking with people, and hearing where they’re from and where they’re heading. And, I feel like I’m helping my community.”
Visitors frequently ask about local restaurants, shops, lodging and natural attractions, and the center’s racks of brochures and maps can supply all the answers.
“Often, people visiting for the first time are taken aback by the sheer beauty of the Oregon Coast,” Cox says of reactions she gets from visitors. “Some like the quiet of Waldport, and others enjoy the fact that all the beaches up and down the coast are public.”
For Cox, the work is “So interesting … you meet interesting people from all over the world. And your community needs you.”
Potential volunteers may submit a signup form on the chamber’s website, email Fullmer at director@WaldportChamber.com, or call him at 503-789-9686.