Dear Volunteer:
Thank you for offering to volunteer to help us put on the 2021 Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival on September 19, 2021.
All volunteers are asked to attend an orientation on September 12, 2021. The orientation will be given in 2 sessions and last for 90 min: 1-2:30 and 2:30-4. Please send me an email letting me know which session you plan to attend. Students who are volunteering for SSL hours will also receive them for the orientation, will be included on form for those who attended after the parade.
Location: The Art Factory. This is in the Westfield Wheaton shopping center between the AMC Cinemas and LA Fitness. There is a large white banner over the doorway.
Volunteer Opportunities:
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Parade assembly area: assist with check-in. Help paraders find their designated assembly point. Assist in last minute float assembly. Help move floats from storage garage to parade assembly. Help paraders get into the parade in the proper order. Help clean up the assembly area after the paraders leave. This opportunity begins at 7 or 8 am (your choice) and lasts until 11am. Volunteers working on this task can also be a float operator.
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Float operators: Assist in pulling one of the floats in the parade and positioning it in the festival area after the parade. For those volunteers who are not involved in the previous task, this opportunity begins at 9am and ends at noon.
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Festival exhibits: assist with check-in and helping artists unload and get their art to their tents. Help hang signs on the artists’ tents. Help exhibitors walking in the parade get to the assembly area by 9:30am. Volunteers working on this task can also help with float operation or help carry parade art, if they want to be in the parade.
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Stage managers: some volunteers may be needed to help InterAct Story Theatre with stage management. Tasks to be determined. This task may have opportunities from 11am-5pm.
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Festival aides: This task involves helping WAP with the info tent and troubleshooting around the festival area. Helping with communications (“runners” between stages). Helping spectators find their way around the festival area. General tasks as they arise. This opportunity runs from 12noon until 5pm
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Festival close: Help is needed collecting signage and making sure the festival area is cleared of WAP items. The tent contractors take care of all tents, stages and heavy lifting. Help is needed getting the floats back to the storage area. This task runds from 4-7pm.
If you are unable to attend the orientation, but still want to volunteer on Sept 19, you still can help us with float operation and you will be needed from 8am-12pm. You also could help with the festival close. If you are interested in this option, please send me an email.
You can also sign up directly through our website to be a volunteer to make sure you receive our emails for future opportunities here:
www.wheatonartsparade.org/volunteer
Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian and must be completed outside of school hours. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns.
