Monday, September 16, 2013

Volunteer of the Month: August

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

A question the Volunteer Office often hears is: Do your volunteers like it there? The answer is a resounding YES, as you can see from our retention rate! While we ask for a 6-month commitment, the average tenure of a volunteer is closer to 3 years!

This holds true for the Volunteer of the Month for August...Alex Shopov!

Alex, pictured with Rhonda the anaconda

Alex has been with us since August 2011 and has donated nearly 800 hours. He joined our community as a Penguin Colony Volunteer and has since transferred over to our Aquarium Medical Center (AMC), which is where his nomination came from:
Alex has been a trusted member of the Animal Health Department (AHD) team for close to 2 years now. He has a fantastic team player mind set, positive attitude, strong work ethic and great attention to detail. Alex always goes above and beyond and will tackle each task assigned with enthusiasm, regardless of how minor it may be. He is dedicated to the Aquarium’s animals and always has their best interests in mind. He has seen and done a lot in his time here, from talking to the public about a whale necropsy we were performing on a beach to assisting Dr. Innis with a moray eel procedure
I know the AMC is in good hands when Alex is working and that he can handle any curve ball thrown at him. When Alex isn’t working with the vet team he puts on an education hat and informs visitors about the numerous animals and exhibits in the building. This education hat comes in handy when AHD is working in the public space and Alex is able to easily convey the subject matter to visitors of all ages. This nomination is long overdue and the department greatly appreciates Alex’s time and hard work.
Congratulations to Alex on all of his hard work!

If you are interested in joining this vibrant community, consider reading through a list of positions and applying here!

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