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 2025
Lynda Anderson-Towns
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for March is Lynda Anderson-Towns of West Cape May. Cape May MAC Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin nominated Anderson-Towns for the honor, for volunteering and hosting visitors at the historic Macedonia Baptist Church during Cape May MAC’s annual Christmas Candlelight House tours, which attract thousands each season on three nights in December. The Macedonia Baptist Church is Cape May’s last remaining historically African American church with an active congregation. Anderson-Towns gave a talk and video presentation to crowds as they entered the church and gathered during each night of the tour. The presentation included inspiring video recordings of the late Rev. Robert O. Davis leading the renowned Macedonia Baptist Choir singing Negro spirituals. Anderson-Towns shared stories from Cape May’s African American history and even shared some of her own memories growing up in Cape May during the civil rights era. “We are so grateful to have had the Macedonia Baptist Church on our Christmas Candlelight tours this past holiday season,” said Amin. “It is thanks to Lynda and her team that we were able to open and share this important and historic building that plays such a vital role in the Cape May community. Not only that, but Lynda went above and beyond to create an educational and engaging experience for visitors on the candlelight tour. We are so very grateful to her.”
February 2025
Joe Martucci
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for February is Joe Martucci. The topic for Lunch & Learn on Nov. 20 was “Why the Cape May Bubble is real, and our 2024-2025 winter outlook.” Cape May is known for its mild weather, often missing the big thunderstorms and the heaviest snowstorms. Certified Broadcast and Digital Meteorologist Joe Martucci came to talk about the scientific research that backs up the folklore of the “Cape May Bubble” and talk about this winter’s weather outlook. Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart nominated Martucci for the honor. “It was a fascinating presentation that kept the audience captivated,” she said, “and we truly appreciate it along with all the support Joe has given Cape May MAC.”
January 2025
Terry Kirkpatrick
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for January is Terry Kirkpatrick. Terry just joined Cape May MAC in the spring of 2024 and already has put in more than 40 hours volunteering and attended trainings to take on specialized roles. Most notably, during the holiday season, she has answered last-minute pleas for help, as she always does. She is always extremely professional, personable, and committed to every role she takes on and staff are incredibly grateful to have someone like her on our team. “Terry is dedicated and always prepared to help in any way that she can,” said Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin who nominated Terry for the month of January. “We really appreciate her volunteering all of her time and energy in all of the roles that she takes on.”
December 2024
John Sparks
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for December is John Sparks of West Chester, Pa. John is a tour guide for several Cape May MAC tours, including Cape May’s Maritime Trolley Tour and Cape May’s Maritime Combo Tour. Both tours highlight the remarkable maritime history of Cape May, which has long defined its story. The combo tour includes a walking tour of Cape May’s Fisherman’s Wharf. John volunteered for a series of videos that the non-profit Cape May MAC is producing that highlight our trolley tours. John wrote the short script and volunteered to present the narrative on video camera for this tour. “John is a talented, enthusiastic and dedicated tour guide and his offering to help with this project on his own time was a real boost to our promotion efforts,” said Cape May MAC Chief Outreach Officer Eliza Lotozo. “John did a wonderful job writing and then narrating his script on camera,” said Director of Media Relations Susan Krysiak. “We really appreciate his volunteering his time and energy for this project.”
November 2024
Karen McGuire
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for November is Karen VanVarick-McGuire of Cape May Court House. She was nominated by Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin. “We would like to show appreciation to Karen for lending us her unique set of skills manning the First Aid Tent for the entirety of the Harvest Brew Fest Saturday, Sept. 14,” said Amin. The annual Harvest Brew Fest at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May, attracts thousands of visitors each year with local breweries, food trucks, crafters, children’s entertainment and live music. “Not only was she managing the area by herself for over eight hours, but she coordinated the materials and needs of set-up prior to the event, as well. Karen has been a dedicated supporter of MAC for years. She is a wonderful asset to the organization.”
October 2024
Carole Ulmer
(Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for October is Carole Ulmer nominated by Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin. Ulmer receives this honor for her steadfast work volunteering this summer and fall at the Cape May Lighthouse. She is shown here at the lighthouse volunteering during the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey this past weekend. “Carole has been a dedicated MAC volunteer for years, giving us a lot of her time during events and answering our pleas for help,” said Amin. “This past summer though, she really stood out as she extended her time with us on numerous occasions to help us cover additional outdoor shifts during some of the most difficult weather conditions. She has been an incredible asset during our Family Fun Days, and events and weekend shows this past season. We really appreciate how much we can rely on her, and what a pleasure she is, as well,” said Amin.
September 2024
Allison Parlin
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for September is Allison Parlin of Longport. Parlin was nominated for the honor by Chief Outreach Officer Eliza Lotozo and Volunteer Coordinator Maria Amin, for offering to take photos of the recent Cape May Book Brigade event, in which Cape May MAC volunteers participated. “Allison, though being relatively new to the organization, volunteered her skills as a photographer to take pictures of the volunteers involved in the book brigade, since our regular photographer was unavailable. Thanks to her we have great images to commemorate the event,” said Amin. “She has also stepped up when volunteers were needed for our guide trainings. We are so grateful to Allison for her assistance in this way.”
August 2024
Hope Gaines
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for August is Hope Gaines of Cape May. She was nominated by Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart for her many years of dedicated service to the organization, which includes sponsoring and helping create the co-partnered Cape May MAC and Center for Community Arts (CCA) annual winter exhibits, working as an interpreter and tour guide, and most recently giving a talk on bees. “Hope used her vast knowledge of garden lore to create and present a fascinating program on bees, their habits and their habitats,” said Stewart. “ Hope has been a Cape May MAC interpreter for many years and, as a volunteer with CCA, has helped develop many of our co-sponsored winter exhibits. She is also active with the Cape May Garden Club and maintains her own extensive garden. In addition to an informative lecture, Hope did a taste test for our attendees, which allowed us to sample the difference between honeys from different regions, and those made from nectars from different species of flowers. We are so grateful to her for sharing her knowledge and energy with Cape May MAC. She has made a huge contribution to the organization over the years.”
July 2024
Rusty Cassway
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteer of the Month for July is Rusty Cassway of Cape May, who recently took time from a very busy schedule to present a lecture for Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn program about the Octavian Project. He was nominated by Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart. Cassway is the captain of the RV Explorer, a dive vessel which explores shipwrecks. His lecture was about one particular vessel, a tramp freighter sunk by U-Boat 123 in 1942. With a significant investment in time and ingenuity, Rusty and his crew were able to identify the wreck as the D/S Octavian and provide closure to the descendants of the captain and crew. “Rusty attracted the largest audience we’ve had for our Lunch & Learns since COVID,” Stewart said. “This lecture was riveting and engaging, as he related his team’s personal experiences diving off the Mid-Atlantic coast. These are true adventure stories he shared. The audience was absolutely captivated. We so appreciate his giving his time to Cape May MAC in this way.”
June 2024
Matt Reeves & Dustin Piccolo-Kinsey
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) announces the Volunteers of the Month for June are Matt Reeves of West Cape May, top, and Dustin Piccolo-Kinsey of Cape May, bottom, two volunteers for Cape May MAC’s Carroll Gallery exhibit opening April 24 of “We All Scream for Ice Cream: The History of Summer’s Favorite Treat.” The exhibit is open through Nov. 3 at the Carriage House on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May, N.J. They were nominated by Cape May MAC Outreach Officer Eliza Lotozo. Reeves, bar manager at the Cricket Club in Cape May, volunteered his time as bartender to serve champagne at the event. Piccolo-Kinsey, owner of Fine Fellows Creamery, donated the ice cream that was served at the opening, and volunteered his time scooping and serving ice cream to attendees. “Matt is a highly experienced bartender in Cape May,” said Lotozo. “We are so grateful to him for donating his time, energy and skill as a bartender, making people feel special at this opening. Dustin’s donation of Bassett’s ice cream for this event made the evening special and was very generous. We especially appreciate the enthusiasm of both in bringing this exhibit to life on its opening day. We are delighted to recognize Matt and Dustin, each for their individual contributions and commitment to Cape May MAC and its mission.”
May 2024
Stan Sperlak
Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) volunteer Stan Sperlak, of Goshen, is the Cape May MAC Volunteer of the Month for May. He was nominated by Cape May MAC Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart. Sperlak gave a talk for Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn program, sharing his philosophy on “Art in Nature, Nature in Art.” Stan is a nationally recognized painter whose works focus on the landscape and atmosphere of Southern New Jersey, and a landscape designer with four decades of experience. He’s realized those two passions in his 37-acre Nature Preserve and Sculpture Garden in Goshen. His talk focused on how he finds art in reclaimed, recycled and repurposed objects. “Stan is an extraordinarily generous teacher, willing to share his journey and inspiration,” said Stewart. “We are all so very grateful to him for inspiring and enlightening our
audience.”
April 2024
Harry Bellangy
Cape May MAC’s (Museums+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for April is Cape May Historical Society President and Historian Harry Bellangy, of Cape May, shown here at the society’s headquarters, the circa 1730 Colonial House Museum, 653 ½ Washington St. The society and museum are longtime partners to Cape May MAC. Bellangy, a lifelong Cape May resident, was nominated by Cape May MAC Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart for volunteering his time to give a talk titled, “Magnesite: A World War II Necessity.” His talk was part of Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn educational series, a twice monthly program offered both live and online via Zoom, on enlightening and entertaining topics of history and culture. He included in his talk the history of Cape May’s magnesite plant that operated during World War II off Sunset Boulevard. The audience was captivated, he said. “They loved it. They had no idea in many cases what magnesite was and what it did or its importance during World War II. They had no idea magnesite could be extracted from sea water,” he said. Many in the audience were interested in the environmental impact from the plant, as well, he said, from dust which is alkaline that affected acid-loving plants nearby, such as pines. “Harry is an engaging presenter, and his knowledge of Cape May history is broad and deep,” said Stewart. “The Colonial House Museum is a Cape May gem and Harry is an invaluable asset to the Cape May community. We are so fortunate and grateful to him for sharing his expertise with us and with the public.”