Want to volunteer? Check out DuPage forest preserve's open house

When life after retirement didn't go exactly as planned for Cathy Lavis, the former schoolteacher decided to refocus by volunteering.

The match between Lavis, a 38-year teacher and widower who loves nature and animals, and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District has been a perfect fit.

After a year of volunteering, Lavis isn't sure who benefits more — the district or her.

She'll tell prospective volunteers as much at an informational open house from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the district headquarters in the Danada Forest Preserve, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton.

“I'm grateful for all of this,” Lavis said. “I am such a fan. The organization pulls in people from all walks of life. Some are retired, some aren't.”

The forest preserve district maintains more than 25,000 acres at more than 60 preserves throughout the county.

It also has 956 volunteers who last year worked at forest preserves more than a combined 5,000 times, saving the district about $2 million in labor costs.

“These folks are just phenomenal, they're fabulous,” said Chris Linnell, the district's volunteer services supervisor. “We really couldn't do it without them.”

The open house will include representatives from each of the district's 10 departments. Roughly 56 different types of volunteer positions exist throughout the district, from cleaning and feeding animals to guiding tours to greeting visitors.

The open house includes an informational video and plenty of time to interact and ask questions about various volunteering opportunities.

“It really just depends on people's time and interest,” Linnell said. “We have almost anything they'd wish to do.”

Regardless of what a person's application reads, the forest preserve finds a volunteer's outstanding skill and capitalizes on that.

“It doesn't matter what you bring to the table, they will find your best fit,” said Lavis, who originally trained at St. James Farm as a tour guide. “It turned out I was more suited for the wedding planning they had there.”

Lavis now volunteers one day a week at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, one day organizing weddings at St. James Farm and has the option of helping midweek in the volunteer offices.

Despite an unsure start to retirement, Lavis says she's found a new home within the DuPage Forest Preserve volunteer ranks.

“It's turned out to be a wonderful circumstance for both of us,” Linnell said.

If Saturday doesn't work for potential volunteers, another smaller-scale presentation will be given Wednesday, Feb. 9 with a single district representative.

For more information, call (630) 933-7681 or visit www.dupageforest.com.

If you go

What: Open house for DuPage Forest Preserve District volunteers

When: 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Jan. 15

Where: District headquarters in the Danada Forest Preserve, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton

Cost: Free

Info: (630) 933-7681 or www.dupageforest.com