{"id":1077,"date":"2012-10-17T09:53:36","date_gmt":"2012-10-17T13:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/blogs\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=1077"},"modified":"2012-10-17T09:53:36","modified_gmt":"2012-10-17T13:53:36","slug":"volunteering-with-the-new-england-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/volunteering-with-the-new-england-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering with the New England Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

View a slideshow of the event<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, we\u2019ve had all sorts of people volunteer with us\u2014scouts, corporate groups, schools, families, etc. But on Tuesday, October 16, we officially added a new group to our roster: professional football players!<\/p>\n

As part of the New England Patriots Celebrate Volunteerism<\/a> campaign, three Patriots players (Zoltan Mesko<\/a>, Ryan Mallett<\/a>, and Danny Aiken<\/a>) joined our regular volunteers from HMEA<\/a> (an organization committed to working with people with developmental disabilities) at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a> in Norfolk. The task at hand: spreading wood chips at the future site of Stony Brook\u2019s new Nature Play Area. The project is especially meaningful to Dan White, of Wrentham Boy Scout Troop 131, who is leading the charge of creating the play area as a way to earn Eagle Scout status.<\/p>\n

The crew was able to accomplish a tremendous amount during the 45-minute work session. In between hauling and raking wood chips, there was plenty of time for laughs and a chance to learn more about Mass Audubon. Mesko was especially enthralled with all that the organization is doing in the realm of solar power<\/a>, emphasizing how important it is to be proactive in conservation. \u201cMass Audubon is an organization that is leading the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The day was capped off with the Patriots announcing their \u201cDifference Maker of the Week<\/a>\u201d \u2014our very own Ruth Connaughton, a 15-year Wellfleet Bay<\/a> volunteer. Among the many volunteer \u2018hats\u2019 Ruth has worn are Trail Naturalist, Front Desk Greeter, and Nature Center Docent. As a former teacher, she is a natural interacting with visitors of all ages two afternoons a week, and she shares their excitement as they discover the natural world around them\u2014one bird, fish, plant, fiddler crab, or turtle at a time.<\/p>\n

Ruth says, \u201cSeeing the enthusiasm and excitement of our visitors is the reason I love what I\u2019m doing.\u201d It is volunteers like Ruth that make the Wellfleet Bay a favorite destination for residents and visitors to the Outer Cape.<\/p>\n

We were so honored to be selected by the New England Patriots to spread the word about volunteerism and grateful for the players hard work. We hope to see them again soon! Go Patriots!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the years, we\u2019ve had all sorts of people volunteer with us\u2014scouts, corporate groups, schools, families, etc. But on Tuesday, October 16, we officially added a new group to our roster: professional football players! As part of the New England Patriots Celebrate Volunteerism campaign, three Patriots players (Zoltan Mesko, Ryan Mallett, and Danny Aiken) joined […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[51,82,98,108,109],"class_list":["post-1077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-get-involved","tag-football","tag-patriots","tag-stony-brook","tag-volunteer","tag-volunteerism"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-hn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16395,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-lisa-meeks\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":0},"title":"In Your Words: Lisa Meeks","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Volunteers Lisa Meeks (left) and Jan Spence plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project. \u201cHi, my name is Lisa and I\u2019d like to volunteer here.\u201d When I first introduced myself to the newly hired sanctuary director at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Plymouth,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Volunteers Lisa Meeks (left) and Jan Spence plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/FOR-IYW-Lisa-Meeks-and-Jan-Spence-planting-the-last-shrub-at-Tidmarsh-ceremony.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/FOR-IYW-Lisa-Meeks-and-Jan-Spence-planting-the-last-shrub-at-Tidmarsh-ceremony.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/FOR-IYW-Lisa-Meeks-and-Jan-Spence-planting-the-last-shrub-at-Tidmarsh-ceremony.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/FOR-IYW-Lisa-Meeks-and-Jan-Spence-planting-the-last-shrub-at-Tidmarsh-ceremony.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13393,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-jeanne-li\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":1},"title":"In Your Words: Jeanne Li","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore\u00a0member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. If you have a story to share about your connection to Mass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jeanne Li - Volunteer at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/DSC_4906.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/DSC_4906.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/DSC_4906.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/12\/DSC_4906.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15376,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-barbara-brennessel\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":2},"title":"In Your Words: Barbara Brennessel","author":"Ryan D.","date":"March 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Barbara Brennessel is a long-time volunteer at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, where her work includes cold-stunned sea turtle rescue. Barbara and her husband Nick with a cold-stunned Loggerhead sea turtle My husband Nick and I have volunteered at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for more than 15 years. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Barbara and her husband Nick with a cold-stunned Loggerhead sea turtle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/Barbara-and-Nick-with-loggerhead.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/Barbara-and-Nick-with-loggerhead.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/Barbara-and-Nick-with-loggerhead.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/03\/Barbara-and-Nick-with-loggerhead.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16401,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-jan-spence\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":3},"title":"In Your Words: Jan Spence","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Volunteers Jan Spence (right) and Lisa Meeks plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project. Volunteering is second nature to me. Growing up in Rehoboth, MA, during the 1940s and 1950s, we always chipped in to help friends and neighbors. What\u2019s more, my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Volunteers Jan Spence (right) and Lisa Meeks plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10602,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-caption-this\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Caption This!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"February 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Let's play \"Caption That Photo\"! 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What hilarious captions can you come up with?","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/02\/3434Wayne_Wetherbee17375_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/02\/3434Wayne_Wetherbee17375_fi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/02\/3434Wayne_Wetherbee17375_fi.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15974,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-lily-age-18\/","url_meta":{"origin":1077,"position":5},"title":"In Your Words: Lily, Age 18","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Lily is a goat volunteer at Habitat Education Center in Belmont. 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