How are other Museum's doing volunteer wise? Over the years - have you gain membership and volunteers? Lost both? Remained the same?If you gained or lost, I would be interested in your ideas why.OK to email directly to me if you prefer - Jim@psrm.orgThanks -Jim

Jim.Our membership has actually grown steadily over the years. We have managed to continue to find ways to get the heritage traveler to join based on the "history of place" and not on particularly a love of trains or railroading.Volunteers in our case have gone the other direction. The challenge as the average age of our local population in central Pennsylvania gets older, is fiding ways to keep those folks engaged to the level they once were and getting the younger generations in town interested in volunteering. It probably goes without saying but the challenge any organization has today that relies on volunteers is finding people with time on their hands. Two income households are the norm and people are living longer but working that much longer as well. Anyone with ideas on what "perks" a museum can offer to get people engaged?Thanks

Scott -It seems to me that, as the last of the "great generation" passes, the "new kids" seem less interested in "giving back to the community" - the "me" generation if you will. In those areas I am aware of: my church, the little league, the scouts, my museum, etc all suffer from a lack of volunteers.Maybe the requirement to volunteer for local high school kids might plant the idea that volunteering is good. Certainly without volunteers - we are dead - or people will have to get used to paying full fare for the train ride and visit - along the lines of $40 per day. I don't see the public paying that.In my own family - even though my kids have seen me volunteer almost every spare second for the museum, scouts, soccer, little league, church, etc - it doesn't seem to have rubbed off!Anyone out there with suggestions as to hoe to recruit and keep volunteers? Especially those under 80!Jim

I wouldn't count the younger generation out just yet. How many of you had spare time on your hands in your 20s to 40s? Darn few I would think. I am 34 and find it very hard to find time away from the wife, kids, job, and weekend obligations. I need to take days off from work to volunteer. There is no other time available. It is tough juggling all this stuff, and unfortunately the time I have to spend on my hobby has suffered. There were years when I took 40-50 rolls of film (yes I still use film) of train pictures, last year I think I used 10 at most. Just don't have the time to do it.In time that will change. As my kids get older, my mortgage gets paid, and I get more days off from work, I will again have time to spend on my hobby, at least I hope so. I have often thought that with the boom in age restricted (over 55) housing at least in northern NJ, it would be a good place to cultivate educated volunteers with extra time. I do not know if anyone has tested that idea yet.Chris Vitz, Butler, NJ railfanning since the last run of the GG1's in 1983.