PHOTOS: Brookfield Zoo Highlights Its 'Merry Mask Makers' During National Volunteer Week

BROOKFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- This week, April 19-25, is National Volunteer Week, and the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, is saluting its 1,400 volunteers, including adults, King Conservation Science Scholar teens, and corporate volunteer partners, for selflessly sharing their time, talents, and passion for celebrating animals and nature with zoo guests.

With the zoo being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff needing to take extra precautions and practice social distancing, approximately 20 of the zoo’s volunteers have taken on another important task as “Merry Mask Makers.” With a combined 176 years of service among them, they have sewn nearly 700 masks for the zoo’s animal care specialists, who still working to ensure the animals are being cared for during the COVID-19 pandemic, the zoo said in a statement.

According to Brookfield Zoo, one of the mask makers, who has been a volunteer at the zoo for 34 years, is also a nurse in the operating room at MacNeal Hospital, where she has been working 12-hour shifts and then going home to sew masks for the staff.

In 2019, Brookfield Zoo’s volunteers generously contributed nearly 75,000 hours of service. Many of them dedicate time as educators, known as docents, and engage guests by sharing their knowledge about animals, habitats, conservation, and nature. Guest guides greet zoogoers at the north and south entrances, offer recommendations for a satisfying visit, and answer customer service questions. Other volunteers assist with the Chicago Zoological Society’s many outreach programs or help out with various office duties, as well as during special events such as Boo! at the Zoo and Holiday Magic.

National Volunteer Week was founded by Points of Light and has been celebrated annually since 1974 during the third week in April. The volunteers at Brookfield Zoo who donate their time are just a sampling of the thousands across the country who keep many organizations running, communities safe, and provide the services that otherwise would not exist were it not for them, the zoo said in a statement.