Claire Caryer
Hicksville, OH

How do you lend a hand at Metroparks? I volunteer with the Outdoor Skills Department. Now a member of our Outdoor Skills programming department and works as a seasonal employee.

How long have you volunteered at Metroparks? I have been volunteering with the Metroparks since May 2018.

Why do you give back to your community? I give back to my community because the University of Toledo has given me so many amazing opportunities through my college years and I want to do my part in making sure people can enjoy their community and hometown, as much as I have enjoyed adopting Toledo as my hometown.

Why do you volunteer at Metroparks? I first started volunteering at Metroparks because I wanted job experience and to see if outdoor education and programming was what I wanted to go into for my career, and then I fell in love with the parks themselves, and the people I was working with, and now I just can’t stop coming back.

Your favorite park, trail or activity at Metroparks? My favorite activity at the Metroparks is a tie between tree climbing at any of the trees or stand up paddle boarding at Nona France quarry at Blue Creek Metropark.

What would people be surprised to know about you? I studied abroad twice in college, I did a full semester in Accra, Ghana and 10 days in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

What is the best thing (or some of the best things) about volunteering at Metroparks? I think the best thing about the parks is the different ecosystems and environmental impacts the parks all contain.  Each one is unique in its environment and ecosystem and preserving, conserving, and enjoying that is very important to overall environmental health of the region.