EIU Civic Engagement and Volunteerism

The Douglas-Hart Nature Center is dedicated to the education, understanding and enjoyment of nature. We feature more than 70 acres of forest, prairie, pond and wetland habitats as well as a Visitors Center filled with hands-on interpretive displays. We need your help in this quest.

Volunteers do not need any specific skills. Volunteers are needed to help on the weekends at the Visitor Center and to help throughout the week on the grounds, cleaning, and sorting newsletters. A volunteer form is available in the Office of Student Community Service for this opportunity.

Contact Person: Rachel Bradbury
Telephone: 217-235-4644
Email: volunteer@dhnature.org
Website: www.dhnature.org

The Embarras Volunteer Stewards began in 1994 to help public and private land owners in their efforts to preserve and restore native prairie and woodland sites. We are people from all walks of life who work under the guidance of biologists. We give about 40 Saturday mornings a year to help in small ways so that Illinois will not lose the rest of its precious natural heritage, of which less than .07 percent remains to us today.

Volunteers are needed on specific Saturdays to assist with cutting and spraying bushes, planting shrubs, burning branches and more. Please visit the website below and go to "events" for specific dates.

Contact Person: Larry Thorson
Telephone: 217-549-1555
Website: www.embarrasstewards.org

In 1963, Dr. Wesley (Wes) Whiteside began transforming 5 acres of former farmland into a diverse botanical garden that has become a true treasure for east-central Illinois. Though he retired from Eastern Illinois University’s Botany Department in 1987, Wes continued to nurture and develop his garden, drawing many visitors to view his collections, which are unmatched in the region.

Volunteers are needed to help mulching, weeding, trimming, and more.

Contact Person: Rachel Bradbury
Telephone: 217-235-4644

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site preserves the site of the 1840s farm of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and stepmother of our 16th president. Located at 402 South Lincoln Highway Lerna, IL 62440.

Volunteers are needed to work the front desk and act as guides for the visitor center. Duties include starting the informational video for guests, orienting them to the site and exhibits, requesting that they sign in for guest counts and demographics, and acting as an ambassador to the site.

Volunteers are also needed to work in the gift shop to transact retail sales and restock shelves.

Training and name tags are provided. Dress is casual, but professional (khakis and polo).

From Labor Day to Memorial Day the Visitor Center and Gift Shop are open Wednesday through Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the VC and GS are open seven days a week from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Contact Person: Lori Henderson
Email: lsff@lincolnlogcabin.org
Website: http://www.lincolnlogcabin.org/

Fit-2-Serve is local, grass-roots, not-for-profit organization. Our mission is to ‘equip people for works of service’; our vision is to be a catalyst in creating a stronger, collaborative community through relational restoration. Community Bridges is longitudinal programming offered to local elementary schools and completely volunteer supported. We honor the time donated by our volunteers, and do our best to make it a truly unique experience where they are encouraged to lead with their talents and skills.

Fit-2-Serve maintains several community gardens in Mattoon. In season, we recruit volunteers to assist in all things gardening…from spring planting to fall harvest. Beginning in June, we host “A Day in the Garden” each Saturday from 9 to 11am.

In partnership with the Mattoon Family YMCA, summer campers come to the garden for first hand experience in gardening practices. Several local restaurants partner with Fit-2-Serve to purchase produce. In addition, we participate in several local Farmers Markets promoting the benefits of fresh and locally grown produce by providing recipes and instructions on how to prepare and use fresh vegetables and fruits.

Volunteers can “drop – in” or schedule a “day at the garden” as a student group or class. Fit-2-Serve is also open to having college students serve as interns to support our mission to equip people for works of service.

Contact Person: Beau Scott
Telephone: 217-235-3839
Email: beau.scott@fit-2-serve.net
Website: www.fit-2-serve.net

Five Mile House Historic site is the oldest house in Coles County! Built sometime in the 1840s (no records exist to prove its actual date), it was slated to be demolished for a gas station site. A group of concerned citizens banded together in 1998 to purchase and renovate it.

It is now a thriving 501 c 3 charitable organization. Every other Sunday afternoon during the summer and fall, free music and historical programs are put on by local groups and speakers.

Our latest major project, still in progress, is the deconstruction and reconstruction of an 1880s barn on a corner of the 5 Mile House site. We enjoyed the ambiance of its shelter for the summer programs. When the forge is completed, it will serve as a blacksmith and carpenter shop, historical display and a community gathering space.

Another current project is establishing a Butterfly Garden on the corner of our lot. So far we have tilled and applied herbicide to the area to make way for the butterfly-friendly plants. Members of the Urban Butterfly Initiative graciously mulched a border around the perimeter to deter grass invasion and provide paths to stroll through the garden. Later in the fall we will install live plants donated by the Douglas Hart Nature Center and in November, scatter seed of butterfly-attracting plants and cover them with straw for the winter.

In the spring, 200 4th graders from Jefferson School are bussed out to the site (spread out over 2 days) to hear about the life of soldiers in the Civil War from reenactors in uniform, learn about the importance of spinning and weaving in the 1800s, play 1800s games and dance an 1800s line dance, and help mix up a batch of “johnnycake” that they see cooking over an open fire, then taste the finished product.

Our major fundraiser in the summer is a BBQ and Bingo with a silent auction. The final event for the year the first Sunday in October is a Fall Festival, a gala happening with music, a magician, blacksmithing, artisans, cider pressing, petting zoo, children’s activities, hands-on pioneer kitchen demonstrations and more.

Volunteers are welcome to help:
* maintain the butterfly garden
* Fall festival (first Sunday in October): set up and tear down, assist with the children doing pioneer crafts, or demonstrate pioneer food preservation
* supervise the pioneer games during the 4th grade visit (first week in May)
* provide light maintenance at the site, such as picking up sticks in the yard, small painting touchups, spreading mulch, weeding the herb beds
During the BBQ and bingo fundraiser, we need helping hands for: collecting money from the bingo players and working in the kitchen – serving food, refilling desserts, refilling drinks, cleaning up afterward.

Contact Persons: Kathy Hummel - dkhummel@gmail.com 217-549-1157 Tom Vance – tsevance@mchsi.com

Website: http://www.fivemilehouse.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5MileHouseFoundation