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.

Volunteers of the Month

March 2024

Ted Bryan

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) Educator Ted Bryan, of Cape May Court House, is the Cape May MAC Volunteer of the Month for March. He was nominated by Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart for volunteering his time to give a talk on “Respectable Victorian Recreations.” His talk was part of Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn series, a monthly program offered both live and online via Zoom, on enlightening and entertaining topics of history and culture. Bryan is a retired high school social studies teacher with years of educational leadership experience. He has given lectures for more than five years for Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn program and for the organization’s Educational Outreach Program, on topics that include immigration, the Underground Railroad, and more. “Ted is a wonderful presenter, providing facts and information in an engaging way that our discerning audiences really appreciate and absorb,” said Stewart. “He has been a reliable educator for our outreach program as well, freely sharing his knowledge and expertise, helping us to serve underserved individuals in Cape May County with our educational programs. We are so fortunate to benefit from his expertise and generosity.”

 

a young man standing behind a billiard table

February 2024

Ben Ridings

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) Curator Ben Ridings, of Burlington County, is the Cape May MAC Volunteer of the Month for February. He was nominated by Chief Outreach Officer Eliza Lotozo and Director of Operations and Special Projects and Membership Engagement Manager Sara Kornacki, for volunteering his time for the annual Cape May MAC Online Auction. Ridings portrays Cape May’s Victorian man about town, Dr. Emlen Physick, original owner of Cape May’s 1879 Emlen Physick Estate. He appears at Cape May MAC festivals and events and is a popular living history presenter. The winning bidder will enjoy an hour on the billiards table in the Physick House with Ben as Dr. Physick. The proceeds of this auction item go directly to Physick House Museum restorations. “We are so grateful to Ben for volunteering his time in this way,” said Kornacki. So many people have stepped up and donated items to this year’s auction and we appreciate them all. Ben is being recognized as a staff person who is volunteering his time in a unique and special way.“Ben has made this a tradition,” said Lotozo.Last year he donated this same auction package. It’s a very special opportunity for someone who loves history, to play billiards with Dr. Physick in his 1879 Physick House mansion.”

 

A man and woman standing outside

January 2024

Mal & Dottie Knapp

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) volunteers Mal and Dottie Knapp, of Cape May, are the Cape May MAC Volunteers of the Month for January. They were nominated by Museum Education Coordinator Brenda Leonard for their enthusiasm and passion for presenting educational programs in Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn programs. Their most recent presentation focused on Gilbert & Sullivan, with videos and songs from several of their bewt known operettas, including “HMS Pinafore,” “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado.” Cape May MAC Lunch & Learn programs are offered each month on educational topics and available to the public for free, in person and online. “Mal and Dottie bring extraordinary enthusiasm to the Lunch & Learn,” Leonard said. “They encourage their friends to attend, expanding our audience. They arrive early and stay late, spending time chatting with the audience. Finally, their PowerPoint presentations reflect the effort and attention to detail that goes into their work: they are filled with maps, photos and videos that make their subject all the more interesting for their audience.”

 

photo of a smiling woman with short brown hair

December 2023

Kathy Genzoli

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) volunteer Kathy Genzoli, of Cape May, is the Cape May MAC Volunteer of the Month for December. She was nominated by Director of Operations and Special Projects Sara Kornacki, and Registrar Donna Szemcsak, for her steadfast work in several departments. “Since Kathy started volunteering about a year and a half ago, she has assisted with the membership mailing every single month without fail,” said Kornacki. “She is not only dedicated but is a joy to work with. The mailing group has become very close because of her humor and spirit. Now I can’t imagine doing this without her.” “Kathy is considered an honorary member of the curatorial team,” said Szemcsak. “She has diligently and conscientiously assisted with taking inventory at the Physick Estate. Kathy’s vast professional knowledge and strong work ethic, coupled with her wit and joy, make a sometimes-laborious task lots of fun! Her love and care for the house and its artifacts is obvious in everything she does. Kathy is very special to all of us.”

 

November 2023

Volunteer Trolley Maintenance Crew

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) volunteer trolley maintenance crew members are the Cape May MAC Volunteers of the Month for November. Shown here from left: Joe Mammarella, Jim Walsh, Deb Yamashita and Mark Nathan. (Not shown: Camille Llewellyn, Franco Meza and Rita Wade). They were nominated by Cape May MAC Director of Operations and Special Projects Sara Kornacki and Cape May MAC Director of Tour Operations Nanci Coughlin for their dedicated work helping to clean the exterior and interior and shining the brass on Cape May MAC’s fleet of six trolleys. “Seeing these volunteers and their dedication as they clean and sweep and polish brass to make our trolley shine, always makes me smile,” said Coughlin.  “Maintenance volunteers are among the most devoted volunteers at Cape May MAC,” said Kornacki. “The result of their hard work makes a positive and inviting first impression for visitors. Our staff relies on their dedication and commitment to manage the maintenance needed to sustain our culture and history themed tours and preserve these iconic landmark sites.”

 

October 2023

Volunteer Groundskeeper Team

Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) volunteer groundskeepers are the Cape May MAC Volunteers of the Month for October. Shown here, from left: Patrick Dempsey, Rita Wade, Carol Lindsay, Jan Dwyer, Bob Gorgone (Cape May MAC board member), Walt Gabriel, Tom Carroll (Cape May MAC ­immediate past board president), Deb Yamashita and Stephen Ward. They were nominated by Cape May MAC Director of Operations and Special Projects Sara Kornacki and Cape May MAC Director of Maintenance Michael Millison for their dedicated gardening work on the grounds of the Physick Estate and the Cape May Lighthouse. “Maintenance volunteers are among the most devoted volunteers at Cape May MAC,” said Kornacki. “The result of their hard work makes a positive and inviting first impression for visitors. Our staff relies on their dedication and commitment to manage the maintenance needed to sustain our culture and history themed tours and preserve these iconic landmark sites.”

 

September 2023

Sylvia Baer

Cape May Poet Laureate Dr. Sylvia Baer, of Cape May, is the Cape May MAC (Musuems+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for September. She was nominated by Cape May MAC Director of Visitor Services & Special Events Janice Corkery, Director of Media Relations Susan Krysiak, and Digital Marketing Manager Evelyn Maguire, for four poetry workshops this July at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. It was an original program titled, “Water, Sky, Sand, Family: Poetry Workshops with Poet Laureate Sylvia Baer.” Baer, a professor of literature for 51 years, is the author of the memoir “Learning Life,” and a playwright, memoirist, writer of scholarly works, translator of Spanish poetry (into English), and a fellow at Yale University. She has curated haiku and photography exhibitions at Rowan University and Yale University, been founding editor of international academic journals, and is the creator of The Poet-Tree in Cape May, where she hangs about 60 poems with signage encouraging passers-by to pick any poem that appeals to them. “Sylvia generously shared her expertise as a professor of literature with members of the community and made the sessions educational, engaging and fun,” said Corkery. “We are so grateful to Sylvia,” Krysiak said. “Her four workshops were a fitting addition to our summer offerings and attracted both year-round people and summer vacationers, which perfectly supports our mission.” Maguire agreed. “We were so thrilled to work with Sylvia! It’s been inspiring to see writers of all levels of experience gather for an afternoon of creativity and appreciation for poetry. The poems that came out of these workshops were truly amazing.”

 

August 2023

Jocelyn Duquette

Jocelyn Duquette, of Ocean City, has been recognized by the New Jersey State Governor’s Office with a Youth In Service Award for her work at Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture). She has also been nominated by Cape May MAC as Volunteer of the Month for August. Duquette began volunteering at Cape May MAC in 2022. After graduating from high school, she took a gap year before heading off to college. Although she held down a job, she truly prioritized community engagement, volunteering for other organizations as well as Cape May MAC. She shows her commitment to her community by contributing to special events and even acting as a historical tour guide and interpreter at historic locations. Cape May MAC Curator Ben Ridings nominated Duquette for the organization’s Volunteer of the Month for August. She has volunteered with the curatorial division and assisted with the annual inventory of the over 3,000 artifacts in MAC’s museum collections. In addition, she helped clean and reorganize storage space for the Physick Estate collection. “Jocelyn’s enthusiasm, hard work and positivity make her delightful to the museum division,” said Ridings. “Cape May MAC will continue to benefit from the work she has done for years.”

 

photo of a woman with grey hair and a blue shirt

July 2023

Camille Llewleyn

Camille Llewleyn, of Cape May and Bethlehem, Pa., is the Cape May MAC (Musuems+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for July. Llewelyn was nominated by Director of Media Relations Susan Krysiak for her help with publicizing Cape May MAC tours, activities and events. In August Camille volunteered to help with adding Cape May MAC events on up to 18 separate publication’s online calendars with the goal of broadly reaching the organization’s potential audience. Each year, Cape May MAC offers over 8,000 separately scheduled offerings to members of the public, and publicizing them all is a challenge. “Camille has been an invaluable help to the organization,” said Krysiak. “She has helped me these past nine months get the word out to the public via calendar format so that visitors far and wide can find cool things to do and plan ahead for their visit to Cape May. I nominated her because she is incredibly hard-working, skilled and enthusiastic, and for the valuable impact she has made on our total publication effort this past year. I am so grateful for her hard work, and of course, for the publications that help us let the public know about all there is to do in Cape May year ‘round.”

 

photo of a man standing in front of a small vintage medicine wagon

June 2023

Bob Hudzik

Bob Hudzik, of Cape May Court House, is the Cape May MAC (Musuems+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for June. He was nominated by Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart for his help with the Carroll Gallery exhibit “Quackery: The Age of Questionable Medical Marvels,” open now through Oct. 30 at the Carriage House, on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Admission to the exhibit is free. “Bob has been helping Cape May MAC Exhibit Designer Jean Barraclough create and refresh exhibit display pieces for a few years now,” Stewart said. “For the Quackery exhibit, however, he’s outdone himself. He created a nearly full-sized replica of a 19th century medical huckster’s wagon, which gives our visitors a tangible feel for what people once might have experienced in Victorian Cape May. It’s a perfect showpiece for the exhibit. Bob has been extremely generous to Cape May MAC with his time and talents and we all are very grateful to him for this beautifully designed and executed contribution to the exhibit.”

 

woman with grey hair standing on in front of the ocean

May 2023

Teri Hislop (Xeli Otaesak Pilsit Xkw)

Teri Hislop (Xeli Otaesak Pilsit Xkw), of Villas, is the Cape May MAC (Musuems+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for May. She was nominated by Cape May MAC Museum Education Coordinator Brenda Leonard. Hislop volunteered to present a lecture on the Lenni Lenape tribe for Cape May MAC’s Lunch & Learn series of talks on interesting topics of history. Hislop was a guest speaker in November 2022. She spoke on her Leni-Lenape tribal membership, highlighting some history and sharing one of the important tribal tales, the Virtues of the Seven Grandfathers. “With only her stories and a few objects she brought to share, Teri revealed a part of local history that is often invisible to many of us,” said Leonard. “We greatly appreciate her sharing this history with us.”

 

photo of a pastor smiling in a church hall

April 2023

Pastor Jeff Elliott

Pastor Jeff Elliott, of Cape May, N.J., is the Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture) Volunteer of the Month for April. He was nominated by Cape May MAC Director of Museum Education Brenda Leonard and Chief Outreach Strategist Mary Stewart. Pastor Jeff has been a long-time supporter of Cape May MAC in a variety of ways. Recently, he has been providing space for Cape May MAC to hold some of its public events and private meetings at Cape May Lutheran Church Hall, including Lunch and Learn lectures twice monthly, staff training events, and, shown here, Cape May MAC’s annual Staff Kickoff Potluck Dinner March 30, an annual tradition that brings staff together at the start of the season to celebrate staff milestones with a pin ceremony and potluck dinner. Cape May MAC pays a very small honorarium to the church to use the space. “We really appreciate Pastor Jeff’s generosity,” said Leonard. “Our public Lunch & Learn programs likely would not be possible as a year-round program without this affordable space.” The church provides WIFI, a sound system, projection screen, heat/AC, tables and chairs — all the physical elements necessary to gatherings like these. “Pastor Jeff has been a longtime friend to Cape May MAC, having served on our board as a volunteer and having helped advance our mission at every turn,” said Stewart. “Here again, he is quietly helping us fulfill our mission by offering us this affordable space to hold education programs for both the public and our own staff. We are tremendously grateful to him for his support and delighted to thank him publicly in this way.”