Port Moody Station Museum: History is Made by Volunteers

Jeong Hyun Kim: Hard at work in the artifact collection.

Volunteers are the heart of the Port Moody Station Museum. Started by a group of volunteers, the Port Moody Heritage Society worked to purchase the former Port Moody train station and turn it into a community Museum in the late 1970s. Over the years, volunteers have contributed to important Museum projects like the purchase and renovation of the train car and the establishment of a heritage garden.

Today, the Museum has over 80 volunteers who help with events, maintain the artifact collection, tend the heritage garden and work on our board of directors. As a charitable organization with a small staff, the Museum relies on volunteers to offer many of its services.

Today, Museum Coordinator, Rebecca Clarke notes that volunteers who want to help at the Museum are often new to Canada and are looking to learn about their community and improve their language skills. While the usual volunteer positions aren’t generally a good fit, Rebecca believes there is an opportunity here. The Museum is currently seeking funding to create a unique volunteer program for new Canadians. The program would teach new Canadians about the history of immigrants in the Tri Cities and give them skills in museum interpretation so they can share their knowledge with others. The hope is that the Museum can offer international visitors and other newcomers the chance to learn about Port Moody in a variety of languages. Volunteers would gain knowledge and skills while the Museum would be able to reach a new audience. It is a win for everyone.

The Port Moody Station Museum is located at 2734 Murray Street, next to Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. For more information about the Museum and its volunteer positions, please visit www.portmoodymuseum.org.

Tagged as: ELSA, Immigrants, New Canadians, Port Moody Station Museum, Volunteers