Volunteers Help Mayhew Thrive!
- Lisa – Administrative Assistant
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
By Lisa Hanscom, The Mayhew Program Administrative Assistant
Each April, for more than 50 years, National Volunteer Month has celebrated the service and commitment of volunteers throughout the nation. The Mayhew Program wishes to take this opportunity to celebrate our own pool of more than 150 volunteers who came together to lend a hand in many ways throughout the past year. These dedicated volunteers ranged from local individuals, summer residents and retirees to corporate sponsored-work groups. The countless hours of time and talent donated by our volunteers each year leaves more of Mayhew’s financial resources available for direct programming to boys and extends the Mayhew Community well beyond the shores of Mayhew Island.
Mayhew gets better at what we can do for the boys, because of volunteers like you!
Would you like to become involved? Mayhew has several unique ways in which you may volunteer!
Spring Workdays - Each spring in May hearty and enthusiastic volunteers descend upon Mayhew Island to wake it up from its winter nap. You’ll find busy groups all over the island airing bunks, scrubbing common spaces, touching up paint and urethane, or enthusiastically engaged in outdoor winter clean-up projects necessary to make life inviting for the next adventurous group of Mayhew boys and summer staff arriving in June. Longtime kitchen warrior Mary Jane had this to say about being a spring volunteer: “One of the highlights of the spring for my husband Tom and me is to arrive on the island with one objective in mind: GET THE KITCHEN READY for THE BOYS. We look forward to spending time with other volunteers and meeting new friends who are also Mayhew volunteers. How can one resist running the famous dishwashing machine with such shiny, sparkling, and perfectly sanitized results? Giving of our time is a small ask for such a worthy organization.”
Postcard Pals - Some helpers choose to be involved from home by signing up as a Postcard Pal. They give their time to write postcards to our first- and second-year boys during camp from June to August. Cards for our campers pour in from all over the country and are delivered to the boys to read during quiet hour. For many young campers, away from home for the first time, these colorful cards, filled with jokes and stories, can fill the gap when mail from home is slow to arrive or even spark a conversation about faraway places. 2024 standout volunteer Allissa, who took on many extra boys last summer, has a special connection to the program: "My brother Cody sent me the information. He used to be a boy there and a helper! I'm so proud of him and the young man he has become! I know my brother enjoyed Mayhew when he attended. I got to ride the boat across on pick up day for him to show us around. Mayhew is a wonderful program, and I will do anything to help and support this program."
Fall Workdays - Before we know it, the joyous noise of summer is quiet, the summer counselors have gone home and a third set of willing volunteer workers return to tuck Mayhew Island in for the winter by stowing gear, closing up buildings and assisting with end-of-season maintenance details before the boats are pulled from the lake and nestled on West Shore Road for the winter.
NH Marathon – Each October, Mayhew volunteers join the safety detail for the New Hampshire Marathon taking to the roadside to assist with course safety, cheer on runners, and provide other necessary tasks. Engaging in this Newfound Lake event is looked forward to by staff, older program participants and the larger Mayhew community as well. Veteran Mayhew volunteers, Jim and Nancy, provide roadside safety every year. “We first started volunteering for the Marathon to support Mayhew. Now we continue not only for Mayhew, but because it is fun, and the runners appreciate it. We like the energy. “
Thank you volunteers for all that you do for the boys!
For more information and to sign up to volunteer with Mayhew, visit https://www.mayhew.org/volunteer or call Engagement Manager, Laura at 603-744-6131.