What our volunteers are saying...

Happy National Volunteer Week! To celebrate, we acknowledge our interconnected and vibrant volunteer community. Volunteering weaves us together, strengthening the fabric of our community by sharing our time, talent, and energy to support one another. We are grateful for the endless support from our outstanding volunteers at Fort Edmonton Park.

Today we wanted to share what our volunteers are saying about volunteering at Fort Edmonton Park.

Word on the street is….

“The costumed interpreters were extremely generous with my children who were volunteering. They played with my kids and taught them history. My children experienced a lot of loss the past few years. The time spent on the street with these friendly and kind people was healing. I saw my children become more hopeful, open and playful. We will always remember the magical summer we spent at Fort Edmonton.” - Volunteer

“The more welcoming the staff was, the more comfortable I felt as a volunteer. Not just my point person but everyone; sometimes we are in buildings without our point person so it’s nice when everyone is looking out for you as a volunteer.” - Volunteer

“This seems so obvious in hindsight, but I was completely surprised the first time someone asked if they could have their picture taken with me! It really made me feel like I was truly a part of the family’s vacation experience!” - Volunteer

“The best moment of the summer was when my friend and I were singing songs and an elderly lady was enjoying it so much that we invited her behind the ropes to sit with us and sing. She sang her heart out for probably half an hour; she had been a musician and knew every note we played. Her daughter, granddaughter, and baby great granddaughter came to find her eventually and all cried watching how happy she was as she sang…it was a magical day I’ll not forget any time soon. I’m grateful the staff interpreters that day were willing to run with it and let my friend and I have an impromptu concert/sing-along with that lovely lady!” - Volunteer

“A visitor was brought to tears after seeing the Indigenous Peoples Experience and came to talk to me at the Cree camp about his own country’s history and genocide of people. How they don't preserve that history there and we are lucky to have something here.” - Volunteer

“I loved being able to have knowledge shared between myself and the gardeners. Chats about gardening, making apple butter, and our other hobbies are what make the volunteer experience enjoyable.” - Volunteer

“We came on laundry day and our girls just loved it. They must have washed the provided rags at least 50 times, and they showed many other children/visitors how to do it as well. They loved explaining what to do, and demonstrating how to do it.” - Volunteer

“My mentor was excellent. She was really serious about her job and mine, and her dedication pushed me to improve every time I worked.” - Junior Volunteer

“The staff were amazing. I would like to thank them for including me and making me feel happy. I am forever grateful for their jokes and stories this summer. My mentor especially made me feel part of something. She taught me more about being Métis and introduced me to some amazing things. While I had discovered my Métis heritage, she taught me how to bead. It will definitely be a summer to remember, and I hope to come back.” - Junior Volunteer

“Being able to learn from all the mentors on my street was meaningful to me. They were all open to me seeing what they do in a day. It helped me gain a wider knowledge of history and cultures.” - Junior Volunteer

“Something that impacted me was the opportunity to come in on the weekend and make cornbread with one of the people on my street. It was my first time baking in an old time oven and having cornbread. I had a lot of fun!” - Junior Volunteer

“I loved playing games with the kids in the Day Camps. Especially in the fort. Fort Edmonton was one of the highlights of my summer and I’m glad I got to work with amazing kids, volunteers, and staff. I also found myself becoming friends with many of the other junior volunteers who I still talk with to this day!" - Junior Volunteer

“I feel that engaging with the kids at the Day Camp and working with my fellow Junior Volunteers were definitely the highlights of my summer and my overall volunteer career. I got to make tons of new friends this summer, and I am super grateful that I was able to contribute and be a part of this lovely, inclusive, and respectful community.” - Junior Volunteer

“A really amazing opportunity I had this summer was being able to play piano in the Rutherford house. I think the guests enjoyed it and it was a really cool experience for me to be able to bring something I love into volunteering.” - Junior Volunteer

“As an introverted person, I was scared I wasn’t going to make many friends and that during the volunteer weeks, I’d feel lonely. Just on the first day, I already talked to many of the volunteers and those social skills are helping me a lot now at school with making new friends!” - Junior Volunteer

“I just want to say thank you to everyone, this was an excellent experience and I will definitely come back next year. I couldn’t have chosen a better first look into the job/volunteer experience than this and I hope more teens have/had experiences just as amazing as mine.” - Junior Volunteer

To our guests, if you have the chance to engage with one of our volunteers this season, please thank them for their wonderful contributions to Fort Edmonton Park!

To our volunteers, your dedication and commitment have truly made a difference in preserving our history and providing a memorable experience for visitors. We are deeply grateful for your service.