Community Spotlight: Volunteer Ushers at the Lone Tree Arts Center
Volunteer ushers are a fixture at the Lone Tree Arts Center. This group of passionate individuals, with their white shirts capped with a bright green accent, welcome every person to our facility with a warm smile and help visitors with anything they may need. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Arts Center could not function without this dedicated group.
Our ushers volunteer for nearly every event at the Lone Tree Arts Center, as well as many of our City Events like Independence Day, Schweiger Ranch Fall Festival, Wag N Romp, and Merry Days. They are there to support our rental clients – from cutting cakes at Police Department Awards to blowing up balloon arches for retirement parties, our ushers are truly there for everything. Currently 122 active ushers are our roster and last season they volunteered over 6,200 hours of time!
When you first enter the Arts Center to attend an event, one of our ushers is usually the first face you see. They are the ones who set the tone for your entire experience at the Arts Center, and they take that responsibility seriously. We interviewed some of our ushers, and many of them said that their favorite part of ushering was getting to help patrons and getting to see the smiles on their faces after events. One usher, Elaine, said that her favorite thing is just getting to tell patrons more information about the Arts Center, whether it’s where the restrooms are or information about upcoming shows.
Many of our ushers found the Arts Center as they were looking for a place to volunteer their time at that felt meaningful and was also fun. Quite a few that we interviewed said that they had attended performances at the Arts Center and were so blown away by the experience that they wanted to be a part of it and decided to join usher program. Another usher, Karen, said that she “[did] not have the financial means to be a patron, but by volunteering I can support an…art center that provides knowledge, entertainment, and music to children, school-age students, people with disabilities, active patrons who embrace the arts of every kind, and visitors to our area.”
We also asked some of our ushers what their favorite part of ushering at the Arts Center is and two answers stood out: they love being able to help (patrons and staff) and they love seeing how being at the Arts Center improves patrons’ lives. Some of our ushers engage with specialized training so they can usher at some of our community impact programs, like our sensory inclusive programs for patrons who benefit from a low-sensory performance environment, or our SPARK! programming for patrons experiencing mild memory loss, early-stage Alzheimer’s, or a related dementia, and their family, friends, and guests. One usher loves watching patrons interact in and with our space, whether its watching patrons peruse the art before and after a performance, taking the time to view each piece thoughtfully or chatting with patrons at a rental dance recital who remark on how beautiful the building is. She said that “the facility is a jewel that citizens should all be proud of.”
Interested in joining our usher group? We are always recruiting for new people to join us and make a positive impact. Typically, the Arts Center holds three or four trainings throughout the season to welcome new ushers into our community. New ushers also attend an orientation that gives them an excellent idea of what to expect from volunteering at the Lone Tree Arts Center. They can shadow more experienced ushers to really get a hands-on learning experience and to help them get to know their fellow ushers.
Next time you visit the Lone Tree Arts Center you’ll undoubtedly see one of our amazing ushers at work. Please join us in thanking them for the valuable contributions they bring to our entire community. For more information on becoming an usher at the Lone Tree Arts Center, please visit lonetreeartscenter.org.