National Aviary 2025 Volunteer of the Year
The National Aviary has named Castle Shannon resident Doug Bruce our 2025 Volunteer of the Year in honor of his years of dedication to the Aviary. Having served more than 4,500 hours in the last eight years (including 500 hours in 2025 alone!), Doug is recognized for his unwavering commitment, positive spirit, and passion for spreading the National Aviary’s mission to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds.
Volunteer Manager Teri Grendzinski, fellow volunteers, and Aviary staff commend Doug on his unmatched dedication to the Aviary. “Doug is an integral part of the Aviary experience. He’s here three days a week, without fail, like it’s his job. Doug is warm and engaging, knowledgeable, and consummately skilled at sharing our birds’ stories with guests,” said Teri. Doug may have started volunteering at the Aviary eight years ago, but his first visit occurred forty years ago, in 1986, after moving to the United States from Montréal, Canada. As an owner of parakeets and an avid nature documentary watcher, he found the Aviary to be a cool place, one he would continue to visit when he could.
That’s why the Aviary was a perfect fit when, after he retired from life as a salesman, he was looking for an engaging activity with which to spend his time.
“I spent twenty years traveling all over Africa and Europe for work, and I regretted not having the time to bird-watch [on those trips],” said Doug. “So being able to see so many {of those species} now at the Aviary, as well as talking to guests from all over the world, is really amazing!”
Doug serves as a Habitat Interpreter, one who regularly performs the Aviary’s seasonal talks for species such as eagles and Andean Condors. He also staffs the Rainbow Lorikeet habitat, where guests can feed the colorful species by hand, and is always willing to jump in to help with other assignments when needed, which is very much appreciated by his boss, Teri.
“Doug is always a joy to run into and interact with around the Aviary! He has a great sense of humor and knows how to make anyone smile. I also appreciate his enthusiasm and patience with teaching guests, staff, and volunteers more about the birds, especially during his ‘Eagle Talks’.”
For his part, Doug is proud to be part of the Aviary Team.
“In all of my experiences, the Aviary is one of the best-run organizations that I’ve ever been a part of.”
The National Aviary is beyond proud to call Doug Bruce our Volunteer of the Year. You can see Doug, congratulate him, and talk ‘bird shop’ with him every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon.
Interested in becoming a volunteer? The National Aviary is accepting applications for adult volunteer positions.
Become a National Aviary VolunteerPast Honorees
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2024 Volunteer of the Year
Linda Fetchen is the 2024 National Aviary Volunteer of the Year! Having served more than 2,100 hours in the last six years, Linda is being recognized for her innate attention to detail, commitment to the guest experience, strong teaching capabilities, and continuous passion for spreading the National Aviary’s mission to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds. Fetchen continues to foster her love for birds and nature through her volunteer work, spending quality time outdoors with her loving husband, and attending birding expeditions alongside Aviary experts.
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2023 Volunteer of the Year
Sarah Jones is the 2023 National Aviary Volunteer of the Year! Having served more than 3,000 hours, Sarah is recognized for her strong teaching capabilities, excellence in visitor engagement, and ongoing commitment to connect the community with the Aviary’s mission to inspire a respect for nature through an appreciation of birds. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Sarah!
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2022 Volunteers of the Year
Fran Reichl (top) and Reed Williams (bottom) are the National Aviary’s 2022 Volunteers of the Year! Both of these long-time volunteers are recognized for their incredible leadership and generosity in sharing their talents to help our team deliver our mission.
Volunteers play an essential role in that work, and we are so proud to call Fran Reichl and Reed Williams our Volunteers of the Year for 2022. We thank them for their incredible contributions to the National Aviary!
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2021 Volunteer of the Year
Our Volunteer of the Year for 2021 is Janet! Volunteering at the National Aviary since 2009, she has completed more than 10,000 volunteer hours, sharing her wealth of National Aviary knowledge as a docent throughout our habitats as well as during daily programming and Animal Encounters! Thank you for everything, Janet!
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2019 Volunteer of the Year
Our 2019 Volunteer of the Year: Elaine Steffenauer! Visitors will remember seeing Elaine in the Wetlands and Tropical Rainforest habitats, where she spends time answering questions about the different bird species living there. Elaine has been with the National Aviary for 9 years, and we are lucky to have her. Thank you, Elaine, for all of your time and dedication to the birds and to us!
