Use Your Michigan Summer Vacation to Give Back
Voluntourism is one of today’s fastest growing travel trends. In lieu of sight-seeing and suntanning, more and more Americans are using their vacation time to do volunteer work. While many folks choose to lend a hand overseas, you can find opportunities closer to home, like these right here in Michigan.
Volunteer Lighthouse Keeper
Have you always wondered what it was like to live and work in a lighthouse? Now you can find out thanks to the Volunteer Keepers Programs though the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. The program is available at several Michigan lighthouses along the shores of Lake Michigan, Huron, and Superior.
Big Sable Point Lighthouse, one of the many Michigan lights where you can volunteer as a keeper.
Your experience and required duties will vary depending on the lighthouse. At easily accessible lighthouses like Grand Traverse, you’ll greet visitors, answer questions and oversee the gift shop. You may also do some light maintenance and yard work. You’ll stay in the former keeper’s quarters that are furnished with modern amenities. Keepers do have some time off during their stay to visit nearby Traverse City. Keepers stay a minimum of a week.
A volunteer stay at Detour Lighthouse in Lake Superior is a bit different. The crib lighthouse sits on a cement base on top of a reef. There is no dry land around it. It’s only accessible by boat. Visitors climb a ladder to the lighthouse while belongings are hoisted up on a rope. The remote location means keepers must remain on the light for the entire weekend. Electricity and plumbing are available, but you’ll travel back in time as the furnishing and amenities are from the 1930’s, including the kitchen appliances. Duties include greeting tour guests, housekeeping and even monitoring weather conditions for the Coast Guard.
You can find out more about the lighthouse Volunteer Keepers Program on the GLLKA website.
Campground Hosts
For 30 hours of volunteer work per week, you can spend the summer as a campground host at Michigan State Parks, Recreation Areas and State Forests. Your duties will include showing campers to their sites, answering questions about the park and planning activities for campers. You’ll also do some light maintenance work.
Tahquomenon Falls is one of the many amazing sites you’ll find at Michigan State Parks.
At most state parks, you can stay in your RV with water and electric hook-ups as well as shower and toilet facilities nearby. You’ll serve anywhere from 100 to 400 campsites. State forests offer more rustic camping with only vault toilets, hand pump water and no electricity. They also have less campsites, with only 10 to 60 spots. Hosts must stay a minimum of four consecutive weeks. Training is provided. For more information visit the DNR’s website.
National Park Volunteer
National Park volunteer opportunities are available in Michigan at Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The type of work requirements and housing provisions vary depending on the park.
Surrounded by Lake Superior, Isle Royale is one of the most remote and pristine parks in the National Park System. On Isle Royale, you can volunteer as a Natural Resources Tech, helping monitor air and water quality as well as animal populations. A cabin is provided for your stay.
Several volunteer positions are available at both of Michigan’s National Lakeshores. Rustic campsites, and in some cases RV sites, are provided to long term volunteers. At Pictured Rocks, you can work as a Kayak safety instructor. You’ll show visitors how to use Kayak safety equipment and teach them about the dangers of the lake’s cold waters. At Sleeping Bear Dunes, you can volunteer as an Interpreter. You’ll greet visitors at historic sites, answer questions, assist with tours and perform light cleaning and organizational duties.
A scene from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Photo credit: NPS
In all three cases, you’ll be able to explore and enjoy all the National Parks have to offer on your free time.
Visit Volunteer.gov for more information about volunteering at Michigan’s National Parks.
All of these opportunities allow you to give back to your community, and you’ll experience your destination in an intimate way few visitors ever will. If you want more than just sand and sun on your summer vacation, consider volunteering. The rewards will last long after the postcards fade.
