Volunteer Spotlight: Joy Elson
Volunteer Spotlight: Joy Elson
This month we are spotlighting one of our newer passionate volunteers, Joy Elson. Joy recently relocated from Davis, California with her husband and has quickly jumped in to offer her skills to the Yuba River.
Joy has been helping the last two years as a Yuba River Cleanup Photographer by lending her keen artistic eye lending her keen artistic eye to help capture the important work our community does to keep the Yuba beautiful.
Read more about Joy in our interview below.
What brought you to this area?
“In 2016 we started camping at Inn Town Campground after seeing it mentioned in Sunset Magazine. We were exploring where we’d relocate to once we retired, and Nevada City had a lot of features we were looking for – mountains, forests, the river, proximity to many spots in the Sierra Mountains, a small friendly town, hiking trails, art and music activities, and inspirational non-profits of all kinds.”
What attracted you to SYRCL?“The first event we attended was the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in 2017. We loved the whole experience – the energy, the people, and the festival’s mission. That prompted us to learn more about SYRCL and its mission, to discover how beautiful the South Yuba River is, and to want to become involved in helping keep it that way.”What has been your favorite volunteer experience?“Each experience has been such a great one, for different reasons. But, if I have to choose just one, it would be my first one, taking photos during the 2018 clean-up day. It was so impressive how many people of all ages participated, and how much was accomplished. The volunteer party afterwards was so well organized, welcoming, informative and fun.
Each volunteer experience has left me feeling like it was time well spent and that I was part a team of volunteers who made a difference with what we did, and that we were valued by SYRCL. I really appreciate how much SYRCL shows its appreciation and gratitude to all of their volunteers. “
Become a Volunteer Today by Joining River Ambassadors!
SYRCL is recruiting 70 volunteers to be River Ambassadors at the South Yuba River this summer. You can become a river steward and help protect the Yuba River from being “loved to death” by helping to educate guests about river safety and etiquette. Get involved today! River Ambassador Training – Wednesday, May 12th @ 6pm.
Each weekend, a team of River Ambassadors help to set up booths and visitor signage, greet visitors, provide visitor ethics, keep trails and beaches clean, remove graffiti, hand out free River Safety Bandanas, and service as an emergency contact for visitors.
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