Hats off to the finest volunteers

By: Jenn Tamo, River People Manager

SYRCL tips its hat to the finest volunteers in all of Nevada County and beyond.  This past weekend, the 13^th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival was a super success and it was all made possible by the commitment of an astounding 695 volunteers who generously stood at the ready.

Our sincerest thanks go out to the volunteers who helped our vision come to fruition for an inspiring, activating, consciousness-raising, behavior-altering, provocative community extravaganza.  From the center stage to behind the scenes, each and every one of the volunteers who participated this past weekend was integral to creating a positive experience for our guests.  We appreciate your help producing SYRCL’s largest fundraiser.  Your volunteerism helps fund our year-round work to advocate for the return of wild salmon, restore mountain meadows, educate students, share the festival with the world, monitor the health of the Yuba and more!

We can’t say thank you enough!

Thank you to the office volunteers who helped us prepare for the festival months in advance.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped setup hundreds of chairs, hang numerous flags and signs and schlep dozens of supply bins.

Thank you also to the crew who helped us breakdown these chairs and transport each and every SYRCL supply back to the office Sunday night.

Thank you to the jury who helped us pick the very best of the world-class films shown this weekend.

Thank you to our bed hosts who generously opened their homes to the artists, filmmakers and special guests who enrich our fest with their colorful story-telling and passion.

Thank you to the team of folks who worked in the kitchen to help keep our filmmakers sustained with delicious meals.

Thank you TECH crew who went above and beyond to attend multiple trainings, get up with the sunrise and stay long after the films finished screening to make sure our programming played beautifully and on schedule.

Thank you to the volunteers who gregariously greeted festival goers at the door, sold tickets, checked passes and represented SYRCL at our outreach booths with smiles.

Thank you to the Street Stewards who brought poetry, music and dancing to Commercial Street for a robust, playful experience.

Thank you to the Venue Coordinators who kept our venues clean, running smoothly and helped orient all volunteers throughout the entire weekend—you rock!

Thank you to the volunteers who helped us capture incredible interviews with the bright and talented filmmakers who journeyed from afar to be with us this past weekend.

We owe a huge thanks to the volunteers who helped us transport our compost, manage our Greening stations and educate festival goers about where to deposit their waste.  We had very little landfill waste generated at this festival and you made it happen!

When time was of the essence, volunteers jumped to help us meet demands.  Thank you to the volunteers who said, “Call me if you need me”.  So often people ran to pick up ice, to deliver drinks, swing by the store for last minute items and empty the trash when it was full.  Your help did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.  From the bottom of our hearts—THANK YOU!

Volunteers, we are so fortunate to have your help and truly appreciate your service to SYRCL, and more importantly, your service to the Yuba River.  Thank you for waking up early and staying up late, for your flexibility and your willingness to help out wherever, whenever.  SYRCL is lucky to have the best volunteers!

If you loved your experience at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, stay involved.  Visit www.yubariver.org or message Jenn, River People Manager, at jenn@syrcl.org to learn more about how you can support the Yuba by volunteering.  Mark your calendars for next year’s Festival, too: January 14-17, 2016!

Please be on the lookout for our volunteer survey in the next two weeks—we would love to hear about your experience, kudos and suggestions for how to make this fest even better next year.