“So Ya Wanna Work at the Art Museum, Eh?”

By now you should have a good idea of what my volunteer work is: helping out the art museum with their different programs and events. The job itself isn’t that taxing or difficult, but you’ll want to be prepared for a few things.

First off, make sure you go with friends. There’s a decent group that goes to the art museum, and without friends, the slightly monotonous tasks that you may be assigned won’t be enjoyable. Though mixing sugar for two hours may not be the most fun thing to do, if you have a partner helping you, it can really improve your view of the activity.

Second, be prepared to help with anything you feel comfortable doing. I never expected to be hanging up shirts or mixing up icing, but the program runs on our help, the TALH volunteers. Everything they ask is something that they need to be done, and something that they know they can rely on us volunteers to do.

Third, try and have a good time. Sure, you’re volunteering, and it may be for the betterment of you as a person, but that doesn’t mean it has to be something you hate doing. How can you grow as a person if you can’t enjoy your work? Even if it gets to be tedious at some points, make sure that you come out of each trip to the art museum feeling glad that you went there; otherwise, it may not be the best place for you.

Now, there’s one last piece of advice that I must impart to you if you’re going to volunteer at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Do not, under any circumstances, eat the sugar you make for the sugar skulls. It will ruin your taste for sugar completely. It is the reason I now hate sugar, hence the URL of this blog. Let me reiterate: eating the sugar used for the sugar skulls is bad, and you will feel bad.

Levity aside, I hope you consider this service opportunity as one you can take part in. The Art After School program runs on your contribution to it, and without you, it can only function at a fraction of what it should be. When everyone chips in and helps with the odd jobs of this service, you really can make a difference, especially for the children that attend it. Personally, it’s one of the best experiences of my life, and I hope it becomes one of yours as well.

Sincerely,

James Starkey