Dear potential volunteer:
If you are reading this letter it’s a good sign that you are interested in volunteering for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Kudos to you!! I am writing to let you know, as both the former superintendent for the national historic site and now also a volunteer, that volunteering for Sand Creek Massacre may be one of the most rewarding experiences to which you could devote your time and talents. And I can guarantee that your contributions will be gratefully appreciated by the National Park Service.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is one of the most powerful and unique sites within the national park system. Its story is one of unimaginable violence and intolerance, but it is a story that must never be forgotten because such atrocities must never happen again. It is also a place of healing, for the spirits of those whose lives were taken, for their descendants in the present day, and for future generations to come. It is a place to which thousands of visitors come from around the United States and even the globe to contemplate an underrepresented story of this country’s history and its lessons for humanity now and in the future. As a volunteer, you will be helping to preserve this site of such profound significance and assisting the National Park Service in meeting its important and compelling educational mission.
Since its beginnings in 1999, volunteers have been an integral part of the journey to create the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. Without volunteers, much of the archaeological research that has helped to identify and describe the massacre site would not have been accomplished. Without volunteers, the massacre site landscape may not have been transformed so quickly from that of a former private ranch to a nationally significant sacred place that evokes its 1864 appearance. Without volunteers, the historic public ceremony to dedicate the new national historic site in 2007 could not have been nearly as successful or meaningful. Without volunteers, much of the extensive media coverage documenting the intense public interest in the Sand Creek Massacre and the national historic site might not have been saved for the historical record. Volunteers expand the national historic site staff’s ability to record and manage natural resources, help with museum collections, conduct research, greet visitors, maintain the library, keep the grounds safe and welcoming for the public, and the list goes on.
As a volunteer, opportunities abound for you to assist the National Park Service in its mission to preserve the site and present the story of one of the most defining, consequential, and tragic events in the nation’s history. So come, join me and others – become a volunteer and take your place, not only in history, but in helping to shape the future.
Sincerely,
Alexa Roberts, Volunteer
