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Home : Volunteer
The Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park, a unit of
the California Department of Parks and Recreation, offers
many opportunities for those seeking to offer their time and
experience as volunteers to this historic park. Volunteers
may perform historic room tours, greet visitors at the information
desk, interpret historic rooms, and provide other services
that will enrich the experience of thousands of visitors to
the Leland Stanford Mansion from all over the world.
Volunteers can help bring this special park to life. Share
with the public the fascinating history of the mansion and
its residents over the years. Share its exciting new role
as not only an elegant house museum, but also as the State’s
diplomatic and business reception center that will welcome
leaders from around the world. We invite you to become a part
of this new chapter in the life of the Leland Stanford Mansion.
Stanford Mansion Interpreting Docent - brings
the rooms of the Leland Stanford Mansion to life. He or she
greets visitors and explains the history of the Leland Stanford
Mansion, its family, and the roles of the Sisters of Mercy/Sisters
of Social Services while stationed at one of the Mansion’s
reproduction historic rooms, sometimes while wearing a period
costume (optional). Docents explain the significance of the
rooms to visitors while assisting in the protection and preservation
of the Mansion’s historic artifacts.
Living History Interpretive Docent - portrays
an historical character at a living history event while wearing
period costume (provided). Living History Interpreting provides
a look at our history through the eyes of the past, giving
the visitor a feeling of being connected to a specific time
or event in the Mansion’s history.
Information Desk Host - staffs the information
desk located in the Stanford Mansion’s orientation center.
Due to the confines and nature of the Leland Stanford Mansion,
self-guided tours are not possible, requiring all visitors
to sign up for guided tours. The Information Desk Host is
often the first contact with our visitors and a positive experience
sets the tone for a more fulfilling and controlled visit to
the Mansion. This docent will be called upon to answer questions,
provide directions, and distribute informational brochures
to visitors from around the world.
Stanford Mansion Tour Docent - leads public
tours of the Stanford Mansion’s historic rooms depicting
the lifestyle of the Stanford family in the 1870s. This docent
explains the evolution of the Stanford Mansion—from
its original construction (Fogus years) to the changes and
growth of the home under the Stanfords and the Mansion’s
service to the community under the Sisters of Mercy/Sisters
of Social Services—to its present-day use as a living
museum and protocol events center. The Stanford Mansion offers
tours led by Guides and trained Docents only. This position
usually works with a Mansion Tour Back-Up Volunteer to assure
the security of the historic rooms, sometimes while wearing
period costumes (optional).
Stanford Mansion Tour Back-Up - paired with
a Stanford Mansion Guide or Tour Docent, this volunteer follows
public tours of the Stanford Mansion’s historic rooms.
This volunteer monitors tour groups to provide safety and
security for historic artifacts in conjunction with scheduled
Guides or Tour Docents, sometimes wearing a period costume
(optional). While the Guide or Docent leads the tour, the
Tour Back-Up provides the very important function of monitoring
security for the historic artifacts in the Mansion’s
rooms and providing other assistance to visitors.
Volunteer Program Scheduling Assistant -
keeps track of volunteer assignments on the Mansion’s
monthly volunteer calendar and contacts fellow volunteers
to let them know when their help is needed. This greatly helps
Mansion staff by providing a consistent and reliable volunteer
staffing schedule for its regularly offered volunteer programs.
This in turn helps to provide a more positive experience for
volunteers, staff, and visitors to the Leland Stanford Mansion.
Park Walk Docent - leads 30-minute interpretive
walks through this historic park and explains the history
and selected plant life of the Mansion’s gardens and
grounds and the exterior architecture of the Mansion. When
not leading walks, this docent spends time in this park answering
questions and providing informal interpretation while sometimes
wearing period costumes (optional). Presentations provided
by Park Walk Docents help to expand the variety and availability
of the Mansion’s interpretive programs.
School/Adult Group Greeter - meets and greets
visiting school and adult groups outside the Mansion, directs
the group’s leader to the appropriate registration desk,
and provides the group with guidelines for their visit. The
greeter organizes the group for viewing orientation films,
provides assistance on the information kiosks, and assists
groups exploring the three stations: Business and Politics,
House to Home, and Raised to New Heights. The greeter acquaints
the group with the special guidelines they should follow for
an optimal visit to the Orientation Center and Mansion, helping
to prevent disruptive or unsafe behavior inside the buildings.
The greeter also helps the visitors, and children in particular,
gain appreciation of the special place they are about to visit. |
