Volunteer Spotlight, Nieves Family
Nieves Family
The Nieves Family is the recipient of the 2022 Volunteer of Three+ of the Year Award for Greener Initiative.
Parents Valerie and Gabriel Nieves and their two daughters, Isabel and Emelie, are part of the Girl Scouts of Citrus County and are also heavily involved with the Citrus Council, which is how they came to be involved with the park.
After attending a guided hike with Park Services Specialist Val Hahn, they immediately wanted to use their newly acquired knowledge about conservation to make a difference. They asked how to become volunteers, and Val was happy to offer guidance.
On the first day of volunteering, 8-year-old Emelie proudly stated that it was her dream to pick up trash and help the environment. Now, everyone in their family has their own pair of trash pickers, which they use everywhere they go.
Despite that three of the four family members are currently in school, and both parents work full time on top of being heavily involved in the community with the scouts, church, humane society and more, they still make it a priority to come to the park to volunteer.
Since they began, the family has contributed over 300 volunteer hours. They participate in park cleanup events, river cleanup, community involvement events, the Junior Ranger program, maintenance projects and more.
Valerie and Gabriel proudly wear their volunteer uniforms and assist in translating to Spanish to help our interpretive messages reach a more diverse audience. Valerie serves as a proofreader for items that will be displayed in both languages. She also assisted in promoting the importance of conservation by joining with local Latino conservation groups to get the Hispanic community involved – even offering translating/interpreting services for Spanish-only speaking volunteers and/or visitors.
For our largest event, Girl Scouts Love State Parks, Valerie created the zone and parking maps that were sent out to over 200 registered participants. She also served as a point of contact throughout the event and ensured participants and activities stayed organized.
Thank you, Nieves family. Your volunteer efforts are appreciated.