Volunteer Spotlight: Danielle Raynal, Docent
Danielle Raynal completed the Garden's docent training in 2018, and has led public walking tours for 4 years. An avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, biking, and backpacking, Danielle took that training "to deepen my relationship with the natural world, improve my ability to notice and understand what's going on around me, and to share all of that with others. I'm severely extroverted, so what energizes me is sharing my own joy, curiosity, and wonder with our visitors. At the end of each tour, I ask the group 'What's one thing you're taking from the Garden with you today?' and I really enjoy hearing everyone's different takeaways and observations."
Danielle clearly loves to share her enthusiasm for both nature and for the Garden. "Just before the Garden briefly closed for the pandemic, I spent a Sunday afternoon at the Garden filming myself talking about different plants. Over the coming weeks while everyone was isolated and sheltering in place, I posted my virtual tour videos on social media. It was really sweet to hear how my friends would share tour tidbits with their roommates, families, and communities: a reminder of how important it is for us to stay connected to nature and to each other."
Whether through formal public or private tours, or our "rovers" who simply engage incidentally with guests to answer questions or provide information, we're fortunate to have Danielle and our wonderful team of Garden docents and guides who help make a trip to the Garden a very memorable experience for visitors!
Thank you to Steve Bell for interviewing and photographing Danielle - and thank you Danielle for sharing a bit about your volunteer journey!
