December 2025 Volunteer of the Month
For the final month of 2025, December’s volunteer of the month is someone who has become a key part of our volunteer for our organization.
Liz is a star example of how much one person can impact their community for the better, and we are thrilled to have her as part of ours. Thank you Liz!
By Sarah Reilly
Liz Gingrich is so generous with her time and talents as a volunteer with us, so we are happy to announce her as December’s Volunteer of the Month!
Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Liz worked as an elementary school teacher and has recently retired. She, her husband, and two children have lived in the Albany area for over 30 years, and in her retirement as found many ways to be involved in her community. She also gives her time as a volunteer adoption counselor for Whiskers animal benevolent league, and as a member of a conversation club for RIISE. When not volunteering, Liz is a talented musician and enjoys playing her violin in a number of community orchestras, as well as jogging, reading, and nature walks where she looks for birds!
Liz donates her time to us in several impactful ways- she has submitted several surveys as a community scientist, greets visitors to the Discovery Center as a docent, orients hikers as a trailside interpreter, and has recently helped plan activities for some of our upcoming special events. She also enjoys coming to programs to expand her own knowledge, recalling one particularly fond memory: “I was thrilled to attend one of the bird banding events in the fall. It was fascinating to watch up close as the pine bush crew weighed the birds and collected all kinds of data. I was especially delighted when Neil Gifford let me release a ruby crowned kinglet back into the Pine Bush. The bird was so precious and petite! I was enchanted!”
While she enjoys walking each of the Pine bus trails, Liz’s survey spot for the American Woodcock was along the trail at Madison Ave, leading it to become her favorite. While out on the trails, she loves seeing the “shaggy shingled bark and the sweet silhouette of the pitch pine”, as well as hearing and seeing eastern towhees. Finding volunteering at the Pine Bush rewarding, she notes “the best part of volunteering at the Pine Bush is interacting with the knowledgeable, welcoming, and wonderful staff and interns. No matter what I volunteer for at the Pine Bush, I learn something new! The interpretive style of learning that is promoted at the Pine Bush makes me feel like there is no question I can’t ask. There is always someone there who responds warmly and brilliantly to any inquiry I have.”
We are just as grateful to have her! Wren Evans, who supervises docents, agrees adding "We are so thrilled to have Liz as a volunteer docent at the Discovery Center! In just under a year, Liz has taken on training for nearly every additional skill we offer to docents and has dedicated nearly 70 hours of service since joining our team in February! She has even taken on some of her own independent projects by helping create activities for our special events. I am always so thrilled to see Liz at the DC - she has such a wonderful curiosity about the natural world and is always asking questions and learning new information independently or with staff. Her dedication for ensuring that each visitor's experience here is intentional and unique makes her such a wonderful interpreter. Thank you, Liz, for your dedication to the Discovery Center, passion for helping our events run smoothly, and the time and enthusiasm you give to each visitor that walks through our doors. We are so glad to have you on our team!"
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