It’s easy to love Alice Moore, this quarter’s spotlighted volunteer.
Though a self-professed quiet person, she has sparkly eyes that hint of another side, and a warm southern accent that hints of her roots in southwestern Virginia. She found her way to the Estuary Center and began volunteering in the native plant gardens, where she worked her way through the loss of her mother as she weeded and watered and tended.
Then came an appeal for volunteers to help with the Halloween Hike and Campfire, Superheroes theme. The plant villain “multiflora Rose” was conceived, and Alice grabbed hold of that role and knocked it out of the park with costume and skit. The other side of Alice became known, and we have taken advantage of her dramatic bent every year for the Halloween hike, as she has performed the roles of Grandmother Willow, Brown Barbaloot, talking picture, and swashbuckling pirate. Not until very recently did we discover that Alice has a degree in Speech, English, and Theater from Radford College, and has professional experience with the Baltimore Children’s Theater Troop playing Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio.
No wonder she’s so darned good with this stuff!
Alice admits that Halloween is her favorite volunteer activity, followed closely by helping at special events like Wade In and the World Wetlands Day Festival. She volunteers with Invasinators and Bioblitz, and has become one of our front desk aides. If you’re lucky, you’ll visit or call on a day when she’s at the desk and be treated to her warm smile or her friendly phone greeting. You’ll know immediately that she really is happy to see you and that she really does want to assist you and make you feel “at home”. It is part of that southern upbringing that shines through, despite many years living in the more urban and northerly Baltimore area.
Retirement has allowed Alice to spend more time at the Center, for which we are very grateful.