Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Duran.
Hi Daniel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My parents purchased a house in Meadowbrook when I was an infant. This is the only place I recognize as home. For years, we lived just across the street from the Glenbrook Golf Course. In the early 2010s, we started hearing chatter that the golf course might be converted into a botanic garden. My family followed the news closely, and we wound up having a front-row seat, so to speak, as the chatter turned into reality.
During most of the early development and construction of the Houston Botanic Garden, I was in Austin completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Texas. When I would return home for the holidays, though, I would take notice of the work being done to transition the golf course to a botanic garden.
I completed my degree and moved back to Houston in the fall of 2020. This was such a unique time. All of us were still learning what it meant to live through a pandemic. I was actively looking for my first position as a college graduate, but I took a break from my search one day to visit the newly opened Houston Botanic Garden. I was in awe of the remarkable transformation of the space. The Garden was stunning.
I decided to visit the Garden’s website to learn more about it, and it was a nice surprise to see open positions, including one for a Volunteer Engagement Coordinator. In school, I did plenty of volunteer work with student organizations. In the process, I learned the importance of service and the value of giving something back to the community. I applied for the position, excited about the idea of being part of a new organization located in the community I call home.
Since being offered and accepting the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator position at the Garden in October 2020, I have met so many great people from all over the city. It is rewarding to work alongside people who share a passion for nature and find meaning in helping grow, literally, a new institution that has the potential to make a major impact in the lives of current, and future, generations.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been an interesting road. There are many ways the pandemic has changed the world as we know it. Some have been good; others are more challenging. Like many other non-profits, the Garden has found it more difficult to attract individuals willing to give their time as volunteers. We assume it is primarily related to all of the uncertainty there has been around which activities and environments are safe and which present more potential for the spread of COVID. Although vaccination rates have reached a point where more people seem comfortable being out and about doing the kinds of things they did freely before the pandemic interrupted things, we haven’t yet seen a significant uptick in volunteers, unfortunately.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, it is my responsibility to grow, and manage, the Garden’s dedicated volunteer base. I also coordinate and manage organized groups of volunteers, such as corporate teams, student groups, etc., that will dedicate a specific day and period of time to completing a certain task, usually with our horticulture department.
More than 200 volunteers have completed the background check and orientation process at the Garden, but we could always use more. In coordination with the Garden’s various departments – especially horticulture and visitor services – I keep track of and communicate with this group about all of the current volunteer needs, which go beyond just getting your hands dirty in the Garden.
One of my favorite things about this work is that I get to meet and connect with individuals from all walks of life and from every corner of the metropolitan area – north, south, east and west – who are interested in making a difference in their community. Our volunteers tell me that they really enjoy doing volunteer work with results they can see. Our frequent volunteers are literally watching the Garden grow and develop alongside us because of the time and effort all of us have invested in it.
Are there any resources that help you do your best?
The nonprofit community in Houston is great. We have partners from all over town in a variety of different industries and service areas. I have had several opportunities to visit with my colleagues and tour similar cultural sites to learn more about how they recruit, engage, and reward their volunteers. By working together to encourage volunteering and to empower those who rise to the challenge, we know that everyone in the greater metropolitan area benefits. Houston is a better place when we are united in giving our best to causes that are personally meaningful.
Contact Info:
- Website: HBG.ORG
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstonbotanic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houstonbotanicgarden/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/houstonbotanic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNWSMiPxMRrxmeQc2OARMeA/featured
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/houston-botanic-garden-houston
