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Ever wondered what a day in the life of a volunteer at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis looks like? Tina Sumner shares her experience with us!
Every Tuesday morning, you can find Tina Sumner dressed in bright orange at the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience®. During her 27-year military career, Tina regularly volunteered for a military kids camp. Upon leaving the service, she had been looking for some new ways to volunteer and jumped at the opportunity to combine two of her favorite things right here at The Children's Museum: serving children and their families and playing sports.
As Tina reflects back on her career and volunteer work, she says that every new opportunity creates a new set of favorite things. Tina hadn't really experienced hockey before working in the Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience. Now, her favorite thing is working with our visitors in the Indy Fuel Hockey Experience. She loves the hockey drills and helping get the whole family involved in a passing challenge, but she is really happy in all of the experiences. Whether Tina is teaching kids to pass the puck, swing for the fences, or catch a pass, volunteering brings an enthusiasm that she says she, “can’t help but catch when [she] walks outside.”
Tina is constantly amazed at the enthusiasm and skill of even our youngest visitors. For Tina, “the most amazing part is all of the activities in each space–there is something for everyone at every age.” She recently had a 3-year-old visitor tell her that she was “the best basketball player in her family.” The young legend implored Tina to watch as she made basket after basket on the 4-foot hoops. These types of interactions with future legends of all ages make Tina’s volunteer experience truly rewarding.
Volunteers at The Children's Museum have ALL the fun—and now’s your chance to try it out for yourself! Sign up to become a volunteer today!
