This month’s Volunteer Spotlight is Darlene Yost! Darlene is always a pleasure to be around and brings a smile wherever she goes. She is one of our most recent volunteers to receive a plate on the second floor of the ArtsQuest Center, recognizing her achievement of 1,000 volunteer hours with us. Darlene serves as an ArtsQuest Ambassador and a Levitt House Manager, and she recently trained as a Site Supervisor at this year’s Musikfest. In total, she has volunteered at around 20 Musikfest’s! Please join us in celebrating Darlene and all of her contributions!
Question 1: How did you get started volunteering with us here at ArtsQuest?
Answer 1: I got started volunteering for Musikfest when I worked for St Luke’s Health Network in the late 1990’s. We were able to sign up volunteering at the health tent. They stopped asking staff to sign up volunteering. I really missed volunteering and didn’t know how to get back into volunteering at Musikfest. I found out how to sign up when I attended as a patron. I worked a few seasons in the late 2000’s and then got hooked. I then found out that you can volunteer for other events. Throughout the years, I’ve had so much fun and met some awesome and terrific volunteers and patrons. I’ve met and formed such genuine friendships. I love meeting and connecting with people.
Last year, I served as a trainee House Manager for Levitt. This year, I became a House Manager at Levitt and a Site Supervisor trainee during Musikfest. I’m grateful for this opportunity and thankful to the people teaching me the ropes. I’m also thankful to the volunteers for their cooperation and help making this a rewarding venture. ArtsQuest has such wonderful and outstanding leaders and volunteers.
Question 2: What is your favorite event or specific show you’ve been part of while volunteering?
Answer 2: The past several years while volunteering at the Steel Terrace at Musikfest, I’ve met and connected with the radio staff and even got the chance to meet Kendal Conrad and her mother. I met Kendal and her mother a few days before Kendal opened for Darius Rucker. Later during the Darius Rucker show, Kendal and her mother came up to me to say hello. I was able to get a picture with Kendal. That was a fun night, and I was excited to meet and speak with a performer.
Question 3: Do you have any hobbies or interests your fellow volunteers would be surprised to learn about you?
Answer 3: I love gardening. Since I’m retired, I started growing my own flowers from seed. I love watching the butterflies and bees hanging around my flowers. I had better success with flowers and not so much with vegetable gardening. Just when the vegetable plants got flowers, the deer came along and ate the plants and flowers.
I love traveling with my family. I’m trying different things during my vacations. My husband and I went to New Hampshire in the winter, and I always wanted to do dog sledding. We drove to a place in Maine and we went dog sledding. What an awesome experience.
I’m so thankful for ArtsQuest and for the terrific volunteer group. I’ve met and made such genuine friendships with the ArtsQuest staff and volunteer group.
