Volunteer
Why be a Cape May MAC volunteer?
Volunteering at Cape May MAC allows you to meet new people and make a contribution in helping the Cape May region thrive. Cape May MAC is one of New Jersey’s leading cultural and heritage organizations.
Whether giving out information at our festivals, offering skills as a volunteer in our offices, or taking tickets at our Music Festival or other events, your time and talent have a huge impact in helping carry out our preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment missions!
Volunteer Opportunities
- Marketing and Communications Volunteer Positions
- Benefit House Tour Volunteer Positions
- Curatorial Volunteer Positions
- Grounds and Maintenance Volunteer Positions
- Special Events Volunteer Positions
- Museum Education Volunteer Positions
- Hospitality Volunteer Positions
Volunteer Benefits
- 10% Discount at Cape May MAC Museum Shops
- Significant discount on Cape May MAC membership dues
- Invitation to exhibit openings and lectures
- Volunteer Recognition Reception and Awards
Those who achieve Platinum (150 hours or more) Gold (100 to 149 hours) or Silver Awards (50 hours to 99 hours) receive free admission to a variety of tours, including Crafts & Collectibles Shows and the Cape May Music Festival Concerts.
Volunteer Engagement Manager
Maria Amin
Email: mamin@capemaymac.org
With a BS in Animal Science from Rutgers, Maria spent the first 13 years of her career within animal welfare, advocacy, and education, working with the Bronx Zoo, ASPCA and Newark Museum. She then started focusing primarily on volunteerism for the following 10 years, her most recent, previous role as the Manager of Volunteer Services at NYU Langone Health.
Though she is originally from Medford, NJ, Maria’s nuclear and extended family began moving down to Cape May County in 1996. She has spent as much free time as possible visiting the bay and falling in love with the area. As she was completing her MS in Business Leadership from the CUNY School of Professional Studies, she moved back down to South Jersey to be close to her family in North Cape May. She is now Volunteer Coordinator for Cape May MAC where she gets to work with one of the most amazing and dedicated volunteer team!
Volunteers of the Month
March 2026
Physick Estate Floor Refinishing Teams
Two teams of volunteers were nominated for Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) Volunteers of the Month for March, by Director and CEO Jody Alessandrine, for working to prepare the 1879 Physick House Museum for an important renovation project: refinishing the wood floors on the first and second floors of the house. In early January, the Cape May MAC grounds team joined together and helped clear furniture and rugs from the first and second floors of the Physick House to prepare to have the floors refinished, stored it, then returned Jan. 14 and put everything back in place. The moves went smoothly and quickly. Shown here at left, the volunteer team included: JC DeHaan, Bob Gorgone, Mike Jones, Rob Evelyn, Sue Carroll, Walt Gabriel, Jim Shimalla, Stephen Ward and Tom Carroll, along with Cape May MAC maintenance staff, Lou McAtee, Dave Mackenzie and Ni Randrasana. Managing the move was Cape May MAC Curator Ben Ridings. Also assisting but not shown were Board President Janet Coupland, Mellisa Motz, and Mick Schutz. Additionally, members of the museum’s Restoration & Collection Team were responsible for moving and carefully storing museum artifacts during the process, then carefully replacing them. Shown here, right, the team included Peggy Gora, Ellie McDevitt, Jocelyn Duquette, Board President Janet Coupland, Curator Ben Ridings, and Sue Carroll and Tom Carroll, with Director & CEO Jody Alessandrine. “We truly appreciate everything these hardworking teams accomplished,” said Alessandrine. “This was a big job and required care and attention to detail, along with cooperation and teamwork. I am very grateful to our dedicated volunteers for making the process go so smoothly and efficiently and for stepping up to take on the great responsibility of caring for the museum and its artifacts.”
February 2026
Gerri & Chris Ridings
Shown here in the kitchen of the Physick House Museum, 1048 Washington St., Gerri and Chris Ridings are Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) Volunteers of the Month for February. They were nominated for the honor by the nonprofit cultural and tourism organization’s Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin. “Gerri and Chris have been steady volunteers for years,” she said. “Not only were they a tremendous help in December in decorating the Physick House museum for the holidays, but they were enthusiastic assistants in the much less festive but necessary task of taking the holiday decor down. We really appreciate how they champion the organization, and are ready to pitch in, especially at times when we are most in need of help. We thank them for their generous and consistent support.”
January 2026
Ron Clancy
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces that Ron Clancy, of North Cape May, has been chosen as Volunteer of the Month for January. He was nominated by Daniel DeRosier and Susan Krysiak, who both developed and led the organization’s Caroling in Victorian Cape May tour this holiday season. Clancy provided materials that supported the development of the tour. “Ron was kind enough to offer his written and audio works for us to use as we needed, and we are so grateful to him for that generosity and support,” DeRosier said. “As publisher of sets of CDs, books and songbooks through his company, Christmas Classics, Ltd., Ron gave us songbooks and CDs and permitted us to use them for the tour, plus he provided us with stories from his well-researched knowledge of carols,” Krysiak said. “We cannot thank him enough for helping to make this new tour a great success.”
December 2025
Cape May MAC Volunteer Library Team
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces that the all-volunteer library team has been chosen as Volunteers of the Month for November. Director and CEO Jody Alessandrine nominated the group for recognition of their hard work in refreshing and organizing Cape May MAC’s extensive library on the third floor of the Physick House Museum, 1048 Washington St. The project was inspired by a beloved and dedicated volunteer, the late Jill Bellarmino. Bellarmino was a longstanding volunteer in Cape May MAC’s Museum Division, working in a team with the organization’s curator and registrar. She was a valuable resource for the inventory and management of the more than 5,000 artifacts in the museum collection, and the artifact database management system. She had a background in library science and was keen to update and improve the library. In her memory, a team of volunteers came together this summer and fall to overhaul the library as Jill had envisioned. “It was a team effort, inspired by what we believe Jill would have done,” said Cape May MAC President Janet Coupland. Shown here, from left, Donna Szemcsak, Coupland, Sue Carroll, Tricia Kraemer and Ellie McDevitt. The team volunteered their time from May through October, inventorying and cleaning 1,000 books in the collection. They sorted all the books by category, and digitized each book into a library software database. ‘We reorganized the physical library and acquired new furniture and accessories,” said Coupland. “It now looks and functions like a library should.” “This much-needed refresh of the library and its dedication to Jill is a most apt way to remember our good friend, whom we dearly miss,” said Alessandrine. “Jill brought us her joy, dedication and skill, and loved the work she accomplished for the organization and the museum. We are so pleased to honor and remember her in this way, and now to recognize the volunteers whose work brought her vision to completion.”
November 2025
Paul Mulligan
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces Paul Mulligan of West Cape May has been chosen as Volunteer of the Month for November. Mulligan was nominated by Cape May MAC’s Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart, who selected him for presenting his fascinating Lunch & Learn talk, “Mapping Cape May’s Railroads,” on Sept. 3. Mulligan showed an appreciative audience how railroad lines in Cape May underwent many changes, from the beginning of the railroad era through their decline. Mulligan is a published local railroad historian. He used mapping to reveal the story of railroads in Cape May, showing the diversity of trains that served the city – mainline, trolley, industrial and military. “We really appreciate Paul taking the time to share his vast knowledge and passion for railroads with our Lunch & Learn audience,” Stewart said. “The audience captured his enthusiasm for the topic and that’s exactly what we aim for with our ongoing Lunch & Learn series.”
October 2025
Kimberly Lauton
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces Kimberly Lauton of Washington, N.J., has been chosen as Volunteer of the Month for October. Lauton was nominated by Cape May MAC’s Volunteer Engagement Manager Maria Amin, who selected her for her leadership at the annual National Night Out event. “Kimberly proposed a great activity for National Night Out, procured all the supplies, and led the activity for the other volunteers at the table. It was a great success!” Amin said. “She is a professional art instructor, and she volunteered her expertise to us so thoroughly I feel she has set us up with this as a future activity idea for events.” Cape May MAC is deeply grateful to Kimberly Lauton for her dedication, leadership, and artistic vision, which continues to enrich community programming and inspires other volunteers.
September 2025
Sylvia Baer
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces Sylvia Baer, Cape May’s very own Poet Laureate, has been chosen as Cape May MAC Volunteer of the Month for September. Baer was nominated by Mary Stewart, Cape May MAC’s Chief Outreach Strategist, who selected her for her inspiring contributions to Cape May MAC’s educational programming. “Sylvia presented a Lunch & Learn lecture on poetry on Wednesday, July 2, and it was the most wonderful approach to poetry I have ever experienced,” Stewart said. “She gave me, personally, a greater appreciation of an art form I have too long taken for granted. The audience was captivated, Sylvia came prepared with handouts showcasing different poetry forms, and her passion was infectious. She is a gifted poet and generous teacher and mentor, and we at Cape May MAC are very grateful for her long-standing connection and commitment to the organization.” In addition to her July presentation, Sylvia led Cape May MAC’s three-part online series on American writers in the early spring, followed by a four-part in-person writing workshop series in July.
August 2025
Hannah Vaught-Crumbock
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for August is Hannah Vaught-Crumbock of Del Haven. She was nominated by Cape May MAC Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart. “Hannah began volunteering as an assistant at our Lunch & Learn in January, after Brenda Leonard, who runs the program, asked for a technology and logistics back-up. Hannah is a college student and fits the position perfectly,” Stewart said. “She enjoys interacting with our audience and easily handles the technology. We want to thank her for being so generous with her time and talent.”
July 2025
Wendy Collins
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for July is Cape May MAC board trustee Wendy Collins. She was nominated by Cape May MAC Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart. “Wendy has been Cape May MAC’s primary contact for use of the Cape May Stage theater and has always been accommodating to our needs,” Stewart said. “In the month of May, we used the theater for two programs — “By the Book” and “Tattoo Uprising.” For both programs, Wendy opened the building, set up the screen and projector, generally served as our events manager and welcomed our guests! In addition, Wendy used Cape May Stage’s social media platform to help us advertise the events. Her assistance made both seamless, worry-free events. We are very grateful to her and to Cape May Stage for being outstanding partners.”
June 2025
Perigee Moon Tattoo Artists
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteers of the Month for June are the Perigee Moon Studio Artists: Kirsten Ewing, Destanie Stafford, Jess McCole, Sandy Bove, Kayloria Stephen and Gia Leotta. They were nominated by Chief Outreach Officer Eliza Lotozo. “I am nominating the artists of Perigee Moon Tattoo Parlor in West Cape May for their contributions to Cape May MAC’s 2025 annual exhibit, “Tattoos: Modern Expression, Ancient Art”. “The Perigee Moon artists agreed to paint traditional and historical tattoo styles onto two dress forms, two mannequin arms, and a mannequin head, all to be used as visual displays in the exhibit. Their artistry is exceptional and their contributions really added to the design of the exhibit,” said Lotozo. In addition to the painted forms, one of the artists, Kayloria Stephen, designed a Victorian-era inspired flash sheeta collection of pre-designed tattoo images), which Cape May MAC handed out as temporary tattoos at the opening and that are also available at their parlor as permanent tattoos. Perigee Moon tattoo shop is located at 301 Broadway, West Cape May, NJ 08204.
May 2025
Mary Pat Myers
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for May is photographer Mary Pat Myers of Cape May. Director of Media Relations Susan Krysiak nominated Myers for the honor, for offering her professional photography services pro bono for the exhibit, “Tattoos: Modern Expression & Ancient Art” at the Carroll Gallery, Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. “Not only did she offer her services for free, she took on this project with such enthusiasm and organization, that it made the process of creating portraits of members of the community with their tattoos run very smoothly,” Krysiak said. Myers has been creating family and individual photographic portraits for 32 years as M.P. Myers Photography, and is a well-known and highly respected photographer. “We thank Mary Pat for generously volunteering her time, skill, artistry and experience to create this celebration of tattoos and their stories and meanings to individuals in the community through this photo gallery within the exhibit,” Krysiak said. “It turned out beautifully. We are all thrilled that it celebrates the wonderful Cape May community in a very special way.”
April 2025
Donna Wicker
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for April is Donna Wicker of Villas. Wicker was nominated by Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin. “This is our way to say thank you for Donna generously volunteering her time to open the Our Lady Star of the Sea church, and for sharing her vast knowledge of church history with our visitors during our annual Christmas Candlelight House tours in December,” said Amin. “We appreciate the time and effort she put into creating an engaging experience while making it possible for us to have the church on tour.”