Getting lost at Boxerwood is a time-honored tradition, but sometimes a little guidance is just what a visitor needs. A new effort is rising up to meet this need. Encouraged by executive director Catrien van Assendelft, educator Jess Sullivan, board member Tamara Teaff, and Master Gardener Phyllis Fevrier worked together this summer to create a Boxerwood version of a docent system. The result is Boxerwood Ambassadors.
Ambassadors volunteer for shifts to meander the Garden as a friendly resource. Maps, memberships, natural wonders? They’re ready. The program is in its pilot stage now, with sixteen volunteers recently completing their training. The connections are already happening.
During her shift last Saturday, Ambassador Cinder Staunton reported a classic Boxerwood story: “I invited a family to come into the Pollinator Garden to see [a monarch chrysalis]. It turns out they raised a dozen Black Swallowtails (from caterpillars on their carrots] last season. Boxerwood figures in their family life. The parents live in Pennsylvania, the next two generations live in North Carolina. So to see each other, they have a routine of meeting at Boxerwood and spending the day together.”
Interested in a future training? Please contact Tamara at tteaffbcps@gmail.com. Or ask an Ambassador yourself. You’ll recognize them by their Boxerwood name tags, their welcoming smile (behind those masks), and a bright bandana.
