Yosemite Association Volunteer, Virginia Ferguson, Presented Yosemite Fund Award

Yosemite Association volunteer coordinator Virginia Ferguson received the 2003 Yosemite Fund Award for her ten years of service at Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Fund president Bob Hansen announced today. Fund chairman, Bill Floyd and Fund Award chairman, Fran Wolfe, presented Ferguson with the award, $2,500 and a commendation, in Yosemite Valley on August 4, 2004.

A school librarian, Ferguson travels more than 2,700 miles from Montreal, Quebec to Yosemite to spend five months every summer volunteering at one of the nation’s most popular national parks. She plays a key role in coordinating the Yosemite Association’s volunteer program, organizing as many as 100 volunteers every summer.

Her daily activities include assisting park visitors, managing and coordinating volunteer tasks, scheduling, training programs and recruitment. Ferguson and her volunteers staff information centers and serve as docents at six Yosemite Valley locations.

“I am truly honored by this award,” Ferguson said, “which I share with all of my fellow Yosemite volunteers. Yosemite is a very special place and quite literally a second home to me. After 10 years at the park, it’s rewarding to see the many tangible results of thousands of volunteer hours. I thank the Fund for its recognition – but more importantly, I invite everyone who loves Yosemite to join us in helping preserve this national treasure for future generations.”

From May through September Ferguson lives in a tent at the Lower Pines Campground with other volunteers, supplying her own food and camping equipment. During the summer of 2000, she inspired her colleagues by returning to volunteer, despite a winter spent fighting cancer and undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

“By donating her time, Virginia helps keep services operational for thousands of Yosemite visitors each year,” Hansen said.

“Without her and her crew, Yosemite Valley attractions such as the Happy Isles Nature Center, the Museum Gallery and Yurt Information Station would be closed. She is a shining example of how important volunteers are to the future of Yosemite National Park.”

Founded in 1923, the Yosemite Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of Yosemite through its volunteer, publishing, outdoor education and other programs. Yosemite Association revenues are used to support education, museum, research and environmental programs in Yosemite through donations to the National Park Service.