BECOME A KEEPER OF THE LIGHT
There are many ways in which individuals can volunteer to help the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse. As an organization, we are blessed to have a large number of enthusiastic and friendly individuals who give a little or a lot of their time, as well as their work skills and experiences, volunteering for FOWIL. Below, are listed just a few of the ways in which individuals can volunteer with the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse. If you are interested in any of the opportunities described below, email FOWIL at fowil1806@gmail.com and we will contact you.
Lighthouse Docents
If you enjoy history and talking with people of all ages, becoming a docent is a great way to volunteer. Docents meet tour participants (a maximum of 13 people) at Vine’s Landing, and ride with their tour group to and from the island, and lighthouse while sharing stories about the island. Docents educate their group about the rich history of Wood Island lighthouse and FOWIL’s mission, along with answering the many questions that excited visitors have. Docents also look out for the safety of our visitors and ensure that they make timely progress to keep on our boat schedule. Docents will become familiar with the lighthouse’s history through materials provided by FOWIL and through shadowing an experienced docent.
Tower Hosts
Tower Hosts are physically active docents whose primary responsibility is to lead tour groups of up to 6 people into the lantern room of the lighthouse. Climbing the spiral staircase to the view at from the top of the tower is the highlight of our tours. The Tower Host shares information about the tower, lantern room, the light, and the view from the top of the tower, while ensuring that everyone safely climbs the tower stairs. Between tour groups, the Tower Guide may also take additional individuals who have traveled to the island by their own boats, up the tower.
Merchandise Sales
From shirts, hats, and fleece vests to booklets, note-cards, and art prints, FOWIL offers a variety of items that we sell to the general public. Volunteers assist in selling these items at FOWIL events. FOWIL maintains an “honor store” in the Keeper’s House, which is restocked as necessary by volunteers.
Wood Chucks
“Woodchucks” – The Woodchucks are men and women who travel to the island most Tuesdays from 9:00-12:00 to maintain the property, including mowing, gardening, carpentry (mostly on the boardwalk or ramp) or helping with inside projects like early season cleaning and set-up and end-of-season closing. This group operates very flexibly, with people joining the group as their schedules permit. We encourage people to join us while vacationing in Maine – even one trip out in a season is helpful to us and can be a wonderful addition to your lighthouse experiences. Business groups often join us for their “volunteer day” projects.
History Group
The history group researches the long and rich history of Wood Island Lighthouse. Their extensive work is transformed into informational displays, booklets, posted information on this website, special events, and passed on from researcher to tour guides and guests.
Tour Reservations
The tour reservation telephone line and automated reservation system is managed by a few dedicated volunteers. These volunteers respond to telephone and email contacts, monitor the reservations system and prepare rosters for tours. Questions from visitors are answered or referred to others as necessary.
Fundraising
FOWIL has had a long traditional of putting on special fundraising events that have been enjoyed by many people over the years. These have included several art auctions and “haunting” events. These special events take significant volunteer participation to accomplish, and include a variety of tasks for volunteers to assist in.