Volunteer Opportunities
The parents of RFH Crew athletes are a vital support group for the RFH Crew program; participation in the program calls for all families to volunteer for at least one of our many support opportunities.
We have volunteer opportunities to fit every schedule and interest. It’s a great way to get to know more about the sport, get to know the other families involved, and really enjoy your child’s participation. Below is a list of our current committees with contact information for you to sign-up. As this is only our second year of operation we are still evolving and would love to hear your suggestions on other committees you would like to see in operation or processes that would save time and/or improve performance.
Public Relations/Press Releases/Newsletter – Chair Adam Beacher - adambe@microsoft.com
We want to stay in touch with everyone – athlete and parents, RFH Crew alumni and the community at large. We would like all to know of the great team effort, the success of our program and kids, and the sport of crew on the beautiful Navesink. So if you like to write, be in the know about everything going on, and work on your computer from home or the office, this could be the job for you.
Regatta Food – Chair Paul Lenskold - plenskold@gmail.com
Like to plan, shop, cook, grill or organize? This is the one for you. Regatta tailgating is one of the great benefits of being a crew participant or spectator! Great food, good company and a beautiful (usually) venue – what could be better? We need people to plan the menu, shop for the ingredients, and man the grill. Pick a regatta with a partner and run the whole show or let Paul know if you could do any one of the jobs above. We have tried and true menus we would be happy to suggest or if you have ideas of your own we are always open to something new!
Trailer Towing – Chair Rob Swikart - rob@walshbenefits.com
The trailer is long and full of valuable equipment. We need volunteers with experience pulling large trailers. We hope to have a number of volunteers so you would not have to trailer to every regatta – but maybe one or two. We need both a driver and someone to ride shotgun. It's an early morning departure (good for traffic) and most regattas last the whole day. But of course there is all that great food…
Erg Room Maintenance/Regatta Derigging & Rerigging – Chair Rob Swikart - rob@walshbenefits.com
Each season, RFH Crew needs to set up and take down the erg room and to keep it clean throughout the season. In addition, before and after each regatta (Friday evenings & Sunday afternoons, respectively), we need to have a small team of trained riggers to derig/rig the boats. This way we know that the trailer and boats are ready to go to the regatta and that the shells will be ready to go for practice on Monday. If you are good with a wrench, and enjoy spending time in the boatyard this is the one for you. (These volunteers will also check the trailer before any storms to make sure everything is properly tied down and secured.)
Equipment Maintenance – Chair Bill Quirk - wmquirk@verizon.net
RFH Crew has a large complement of equipment including two 8 person shells, five 4 person shells, a coaches' launch, oars, etc. This equipment requires a fair amount of maintenance work before and during the season to insure it all performs well for the athletes. Several mechanically inclined volunteers are needed to work as a group to help keep this equipment in tip-top shape for our team.
Finance – Chair Jane Quirk- janequirk@verizon.net
Jane has this well organized already but could use some help with things like follow up phone calls and "thank you for your tax deductible contribution" correspondence.
Photography – Chair Adam Beacher adambe@microsoft.com
We are trying to make sure we have at least two people at each regatta to take pictures. Volunteer for just one regatta this season – and your pictures will be featured on the RFH Crew website, possibly in the newsletter and part of the end of year slideshow! And with two photographers at each regatta you won't miss your son's or daughter's race.
Regatta Set Up/Clean Up – Chair Paul Lenskold - plenskold@gmail.com
The early bird gets the best spot at most of the regattas we attend and we are looking for those early birds. We have a nice tent that needs to be set up and unloading and firing up the grill for the breakfast crowd is part of this assignment. At the other end of the day we need to make sure we have a few die-hards that will stick around to make sure we "leave it as we found it". If you are planning on attending a regatta first thing, or know you will be there until the bitter end, let Paul know he can count you for set-up or clean-up duty.
Pasta Parties - Robin Hake - the.hakes@gmail.com
We would like to have a pasta party before each of our regattas to get the team psyched and make sure they are well fueled with carbs. If you are interested in hosting please contact Robin Hake. With such a large team we can use the pot luck version of the pasta party with different people signing up to bring things.(Or if you want to do it all that's OK too!)
Fundraising - Chairs Marie and Eric Knochenhauer - meknoch@verizon.net eriksk@verizon.netericsk@verizon.net
Our most critical committee by far! Your registration fee is used to cover the operation of our program for the season. However, we must also maintain our equipment and provide the best fleet possible for our athletes to get practice time and remain competitive. That requires fundraising. We need idea people, organizers, and doers. Anyone have a great idea that they want to step up and run with? Can you help with to identify and contact potential sponsors – we can provide you with a letter explaining our organization, our track record and goals. Additionally, the Foundation has already established an ongoing and relatively painless scrip program with which we can always use help.