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“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
Arnold H. Glasow (American humorist)

Let’s be honest. Things seem a bit slow for the VEVs as we eagerly anticipate the move to the new Chicago Architecture Center this summer. Most of the CAF staff has moved their offices. The Exhibit Hosts are on hiatus while the model has left the building to be expanded and dressed up. Education Guides are awaiting the start of the spring season for student field trips.

I offer Glasow’s quote above as reassurance that plans for the VEVs’ transition to the CAC are in full swing behind the scenes. And the CAF staff has asked for our patience and flexibility while details of volunteers’ evolved roles are in incubation.

To provide a peek behind the curtain…

— The CAF volunteer engagement and education leadership team are hard at work designing job descriptions, training, and recruiting programs to optimize the VEV experience in interacting with guests in the CAC. Both the quality and quantity of shift opportunities available for Exhibit Hosts, Visitor Services, and Design Studio volunteers will be enhanced by the CAC’s range of exhibits and content.

— Stay tuned for news on re-training dates for current VEVs. While nothing is set in stone (remember, we ask for your patience and flexibility), a first phase in May-June will likely focus on customer service with a follow-up second phase centering on learning the specific content in the CAC once the exhibits and galleries are at or near being ready for prime time.

— To cover the anticipated massive increase in available shifts in the CAC, Caroline is leading the charge in aggressively recruiting and interviewing for potential new VEVs, sourcing the list of Open House Chicago volunteers as well as outreach in the Chicagoland service community as starting points. We look forward to having many new friends in our ranks by the end of 2018. To quote Richard Dreyfuss in “Jaws”, for next year’s Volunteer Appreciation Night “we’re going to need a bigger boat.”

— On the Education Guide front, Gabe Lyon, Angela Esposito and Rebecca Milham have completed the initial routing and “workshopping” of a new “Chicago: City of Architecture” student field trip. This 90-minute walking conversation will explore the history of Chicago through the lens of its architecture. Training for all Education Guides for this field trip as well as revised versions of “Art in Architecture” and “Science of Architecture” originating from the CAC are being offered in August in preparation for the Fall season.

— Ellen Oberhart continues in her role representing the VEVs on the Move Task Force. I encourage you to read the very thorough semi-monthly “FAQs About the Move” postings on The Bridge to get updates on CAC transition news.

Whew, that’s a lot going on. During this exciting time of change, the CAF staff and the Steering Committee are committed to over-communicating with the VEV community via The Bridge and Erin’s weekly email updates.

And as you have questions, concerns and/or suggestions, I would love to hear from you via email (bo****************@gm***.com) or in person when you bump into me at VAN or in the Railway Exchange lobby during the upcoming peak Student Loop tour season. Or better yet, join us for the upcoming VEV Steering Committee Meeting at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, April 24 in Morse. Our primary topic will be VEV “Communications and Camaraderie”(note clever use of CAC acronym) so adding more voices to the volunteer conversation would be greatly appreciated.

Go Cubs, Bob Sutter