VOLUNTEERS MAKE
THE DIFFERENCE

by Natalie Johnson

This sidebar appeared as an adjunct to the article The Making of a Museum.

Complimenting the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum's staff of 15 are more than 120 volunteers, putting in countless hours each week, building fences, staffing the library and giving tours.

An additional 150 NMSU and high school students are registered as volunteers for special events, says Ellen Campbell, the museum's marketing and public relations director.

"Museums are typically under-funded and can't afford to pay the large numbers of people required to run them," Campbell says. "Volunteers are an integral part of our staff--without them, the museum simply wouldn't function as it should."

To find out more about volunteering at the museum, call (505) 522-4100.