Every month our Volunteer Office sorts through the piles of nominations from supervisors and honors one of our volunteers for their truly stupendous efforts. Meet our Volunteer of the Month!

Every month, The Volunteer Office asks the staff members who supervise and mentor our volunteers to reflect on the previous couple of weeks and think about which volunteers went above and beyond their expectations. The supervisors attempt to sift through all of the stupendous volunteer efforts to find one to nominate for recognition as Volunteer of the Month.

Seadragons are just one of the exhibits you'll find in the Aquarium's temperate exhibit

The Volunteer Office then takes on the challenge to pick one volunteer to recognize out of all of the awesome individuals who work towards the Aquarium’s mission everyday. Volunteer of the Month is a coveted prize and earns the victor Aquarium-wide honor and praise (as well as a small token of appreciation from the Volunteer Office).

Per usual, this month was a difficult decision, but we think that this particular volunteer is a great representation of what the Volunteer of the Month aims to acknowledge.

So congratulations to... drum roll... Ellen Breslin!

Her supervisor, Jeremy, had this to say about Ellen:

I would like to nominate Ellen Breslin for Volunteer of the Month. This nomination is actually long overdue. Ellen started as an intern in late September 2012 and luckily for me decided to continue on as a volunteer after her commitment was up. Ellen has been a model of hard work, dedication and efficiency. She is always eager to help in any way and never shies away from a task regardless of how small, hard or disgusting it might be. Ellen has also helped me out of several occasions by coming in on non-scheduled days to help cover other volunteers who were out which has been a huge help for me.

I was also impressed, although not surprised, when I got an email from another aquarist not too long ago relating this story, '…the food prep room had been left in disarray, with dirty bins and cutting boards all about. Ellen finished her food prep and proceeded to clean all of the bins and boards, whether they were hers or not. I know it seems fairly minor, but I really appreciated it.'

It’s this consistent, high quality, 'even when she thinks no one is watching,' kind of work ethic that makes Ellen so valuable to me and the Temperate Gallery. Ellen has, in my mind, become the epitome of what we desire in an intern / volunteer (reliable, consistent, productive, and an overall pleasure to be around) and I sincerely hope that she is recognized for all her hard work and dedication.

Clearly a well-deserving individual. Ellen, we thank you for all of her hard-work and also for the 400 hours(!) you have already served in protection of the blue planet. The Aquarium is a better place because of your efforts!