Just by living in Fort Erie you are already a part of this Town’s history...you are already a part of the Museum. Want to become more involved? ... You can participate in many ways, on many levels by donating:

• Time
  
• Artifacts
  
• Photographs to be copied
  
• Documents to be copied
  
• Memories
  
• Money

Time

The Museums have many volunteers committees, each geared to specific interests and time commitments. If you’ve got an hour to spare, some rainy afternoon for instance, give Jane Davies a call or stop by the Historical Museum for a job. If you’ve got an hour a week or more to help with Museum work, give Jane a call to discuss working with one of the following volunteer groups:

• Artifacts Committee - currently 11 women drop by the Historical Museum every Wednesday morning to catalogue new artifact donations. They decide if the donations fit with the Museum’s collection; write up a description of the item; place a number on it; clean or repair the item; and then store it away.
  
• Archivists - a group of about 40 people who range from working a few hours a week to a few hours every decade! These people love to research and record local history. They take photographs and films of our town. They answer research requests. They research and write historical vignettes that we then publish (Many Voices for example). They maintain the archival files at the Historical Museum. They do background research for new exhibits. And finally, they help to identify people and dates of old photographs.
  
• Fundraisers - One group consists of about 12 people who work on our seasonal lawn sales. They collect “gently-used treasures”, help to price the items, set up and work the lawn sales. Another group help with the Bertie Historical Society’s bingo, which supports the entire Fort Erie Museum operation. We also have special-project fundraisers who help with draws and other one-of-a-kind projects.
  
• The “Old Boys” Club - This is our affectionate name for this group of volunteers who have never actually met as a group. We have numerous jobs and challenges that seem to get solved by a number of retired men with various skills, from carpenters to heavy equipment operators to entrepreneurs. No task is too bizarre for them to tackle, from dismantling cottages to assembling exhibit cases.
• Museum Board - Appointed by Town Council for a three-year term, this 9 member group oversees the development of the Museums. Their focus is on policy, procedural and financial matters. They meet once a month and participate in the Museum’s activities.
• Special Projects - We have many different “angels” in this category who donate their time and expertise as the need arises. We have a Computer Specialist providing software advice. We have a “Jill-of-all-trades” to water plants, dust, do dishes and empty waste baskets (all important jobs if they don’t get attended to regularly!). We have a solicitor who helps with legal advise. We also have a few gardeners who help plant and maintain the grounds.
• Events - We always need help staffing our outreach exhibits that we provide for various community special events.