April 19 – 25, 2026 is National Volunteer Week. We are excited to showcase the dedication and talents of our incredible volunteer team this week and all year long! Read on for just a small sample of the projects and accomplishments of our team of 114 volunteers.
Volunteer Team of the Year
On Thursday, April 9, 2026 the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum’s School Program Volunteers were presented with the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services’ Volunteer Team of the Year Award. Congratulations to Naomi, Isabelle, LouAnn, Cheri, Karen, Donna, Pat, Kassandra, Dave, Hannah, Fran, and Mars!
The Museum’s school program volunteers support our mission to share our cultural history. They present Hands on History field trips for visiting 2nd through 5th graders and travel to schools throughout the city (and beyond) to present our History Detectives Outreach program. In addition to their work with school programs, many of the volunteers also support the museum at the front desk, in the 50% of the Story exhibit as gallery attendants, as tour and history stroll guides, in the museum collections, and as members of committees. This extremely dedicated group of volunteers contributed 1,520 hours of service in 2025. Visiting school children are one of our largest audiences. In 2025 we worked with 148 groups and 5,934 students. We are proud to offer free, high quality, Colorado Academic Standard aligned, engaging social studies programs.
Our school programs would not be possible without our volunteers. They take the training process very seriously, knowing that these programs represent the work and scholarship of the CSPM. The volunteers are also dedicated to finding new and creative ways to engage children in the exhibits, knowing that if the kids do not have fun, they are unlikely to have a meaningful learning experience. We are inspired by each individual volunteer's curiosity, willingness to learn and grow, enthusiasm, and joy.
Preserving the Past One Box at a Time
I am grateful for the CSPM Archives volunteers. In the past year, they have made so many projects possible--from transcribing journals, indexing scrapbooks, arranging and describing collections, photographing ledgers, sleeving photographs, or interleaving scrapbooks and albums—every week they help preserve the collection and make it more accessible.
Pete is one of many archives volunteers that support projects in the Starsmore Center for Local History. Currently, he is assisting with preservation projects in the archives. This includes interleaving scrapbooks and photograph albums with acid free tissue and sleeving photographs. Here, he is sleeving a collection of photographs by local photographer Lloyde Knutson.
Museum Nerds
In 2025, the museum worked with a team of 12 high school volunteers – or Museum Nerds – or Junior Docents! We are always amazed by the passion, care, and curiosity that these young people bring to the program. Over the course of the summer they were tasked with leading “Hands On History” activity stations, supporting collections projects, and assisting with our large-scale community events. This program has existed over a decade and every year we hear from students and their families about the positive impact it has. Thank you to this amazing team!
Special Projects
There are many special projects our volunteers support throughout the year. John, Lynn , and José are all current or former members of the museum Board, serve on museum community committees, and volunteer in many departments throughout the CSPM. They volunteered to review applications and choose a winner for our Marshall and E.J. Sprague Scholarship, made possible through an endowment to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Foundation in honor of Marshall and E.J. Sprague. Each year, up to three individual scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 are awarded to a high school student(s) competing in the Colorado Springs Regional History Day competition held at Colorado College. We greatly appreciate their time and thoughtful decision making in this competitive process.
Setting the Tone
It is no surprise that our customer service team are the top hour earners every year. Front Desk volunteers take on at least one 3.5 hour shift per week and often take on additional hours as needed. This wonderful group of people have a passion for working with the public and creating a wonderful experience for our visitors.
Our volunteers are the foundation of everything we do, generously giving their time, energy, and passion to support the museum’s mission. At the front desk, they create a welcoming first impression for every visitor, combining professionalism with genuine warmth, and exceptional customer service. Their willingness to step in wherever needed, along with their enthusiasm and dedication, makes a lasting impact on both our staff and every guest who walks through our doors. We are truly fortunate to have such a committed and inspiring group.
Organization & Understanding
We’d like to thank Amani, Kitty, and Andrea for their service as administrative volunteers. Amani and Andrea have been key to our transition to a new data system – Bloomerang. They are taking on a new challenge and learning this program along with the staff. We appreciate them for expanding their volunteer roles – Andrea also supports the collections, and Amani is also a front desk greeter. Kitty has been instrumental in organizing our paper files and filing system. This organization is key to maintaining files related to donor interaction, program attendees, and more. Kitty is always flexible, understanding, and always eager to take on new projects – even the ones that aren’t as fun! Thank you!
