- April 24, 2024
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As of right now, The Casements is ranked as No. 4 on TripAdvisor's list of "Things To Do" in Ormond Beach. The historic home is beat by Andy Romano Beachfront Park, the Loop and the "beach" in general.
"Well," smiled Casements Guild President Vic Liviccori, "you can't beat the beach."
Still, the high ranking is just one of the many signs that the 100-year-old home is far from being forgotten.
"I think that because of the website we bring more people in here than we've ever had in the history of this house," said Anne Dufresne, first vice president. "That's why we need docents."
"I'm giving tours of 25 one right after the other," chimed in docent volunteer Denny Lee Synder.
Currently, the guild has 31 docent volunteers working a minimum of 40 hours a year giving tours. With tours now given every hour and the house being open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., five days a week (plus 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays), there is a great need for additional volunteers.
According to Liviccori, most of the members have simply aged out of the guild, leaving them hard-pressed to increase their membership. Three of the members — Synder, Dufresne and Susan Hansen — have even started a membership drive committee in order to increase their efforts.
"We're not a bunch of old ladies who are retired that have nothing to do," said Dufresne. "Every docent I know is extremely busy. Some even have full-time jobs."
The guild is looking to the community to help them gain at least 20 new docent volunteers to help guide the increasing amount of visitors around the house. And if you're worried about not having the skills and knowledge required, don't be. The guild has you covered.
Each docent goes through a training process and even shadows an active docent to really get the feel for the job at hand.
"We're really the ambassadors for the city of Ormond beach," smiled Hansen.
For more information on volunteering, call 676-3216.
