Volunteers

They stuff and seal envelopes, assist artists in the corporate gallery program, and donate space and money to the Northwest Cultural Council. They're the dedicated volunteers who keep the council and its myriad programs humming.

You may think that--like some nonprofit groups--the NWCC has a multitude of paid workers, but this group has only two part-time paid staffers. The rest of the work is performed by a legion of volunteers, without whom the group would probably fold.

The Corporate Gallery program has been operating since 1989. It may seem like a cinch to hang up some paintings or put in place sculptures and other art pieces. However, it requires a great deal of advance footwork--coordinating the timing of the installation with the artists and the corporations, making sure all the necessary equipment is available, the pieces are insured, and that the installations are done in a way that pleases both the corporation and the artist.

It would be an impossible task for two NWCC employees to manage such activities at nine galleries, especially since the exhibits change every two months.

To all our volunteers, THANK YOU. We couldn't do it without you.

Jack Perry learned about NWCC while working in an architectural firm in the Zurich US building. The Corporate Gallery piqued Jack's interest. He called and asked if he could help our group, and he has been a courtesy team member ever since. In addition, he met some painters during his volunteering and when he retired started taking lessons from one of the artists. He has since begun painting and exhibiting his own work; and during his first show sold one of his pieces.

I recently told Bert Coons that I didn't want to see him in the NWCC offices until August. During our first fundraising campaign a couple months ago, Bert came to our office everyday stuffing, addressing and sealing hundreds of envelopes containing our requests for financial support.