Kell House Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are a vital part of the Kell House Museum, and keep us operating throughout the year. Our growing calendar of programs, tours, and special events provide a wide variety of opportunities for our volunteers. From the Hosts and Hostesses that greet our visitors and the Docents that guide our tours to the volunteers that portray Santa and Mrs. Claus during Santa House, the volunteers that help at the Kell House give hundreds of hours of their time to make the Museum enjoyable for our visitors. Exhibits, Collections, Tours, Fourth of July, Halloween, Santa House, Candlelight Tours, and Tea Parties all require your help!
Volunteering at the Kell House is both fun and rewarding. It brings together people with similar interests and provides the opportunity to learn and share the history of our community. At the same time, it gives the satisfaction of being involved in activities that are not only fun and enriching, but that also provide a positive contribution to the community and to the public’s awareness of our nation’s heritage.
Host/Hostess
Volunteers who act as hosts/hostesses for Kell House during our normal operating hours and special events welcome visitors; collect tour fees; sell Kell House and Heritage Society items; assist docents; answer questions about the Museum’s location, hours, and tours; and serve as guardians of the Collections. A host/hostess has the opportunity to share his/her enthusiasm for our area and its many benefits with visitors from all over the world.
Docents
Kell House docents, also called tour guides or interpreters, are the public face of the Museum. After an extensive training period, docents share the history of Wichita Falls and the Kell family with visitors who tour the Museum. Architecture, furniture, decorative arts, and life in the early 20th Century are all incorporated into tours to make the Kell House an entertaining and educational experience for all age groups.
Special Events
Each year, the Kell House hosts many special events, including
Exhibits
Weddings
Fourth of July
Victorian Halloween
Santa House
Candlelight Tours
Garden Tea Party
These programs are all planned, supported, and staffed by volunteers. For more information about a specific special event, please contact the Kell House.
As 2009 quickly approaches, we have also begun to plan for the 100th Birthday of the Kell House. Please let us know if this is something that interests you!
Collections
The Kell House Collections include furnishings, textiles, art, decorative accessories, china, photographs and other paper documents, and period costumes. Collections volunteers assist in the ongoing research, cataloging, acquisition, and care of these treasures, providing one of the most varied and useful learning opportunities offered to our volunteers. Assignments may include caring for the fine woods or paintings, polishing silver, researching decorative arts, or documenting objects, depending on the interests and skills of the volunteer.
Training for Docents and Hosts/Hostesses is provided on a regular basis.
For more information about any of our Volunteer Opportunities, please contact us at (940)723-2712 or KellHouse@sbcglobal.net.
Leave a Legacy Texhoma Planned Giving – Consider a bequest for the Heritage Society You can discuss this with your estate planner, or call us. We will be happy to talk with you.
