For 12-year-old Alex Fitzgerald, volunteering looks a lot like getting to play with his favorite two-winged creatures and a little quality one-on-one time with mom.
That’s because a year ago, the Rapid City family saw an opportunity to get involved in the community and they dove head-first into service work with the local Black Hills Raptor program.
“We always look for opportunities to serve, but in this season there wasn’t always a steady way to volunteer,” said Alex’s mother, Erin.
Erin and her husband, Adam, have six children between the ages of one and 13. She also homeschools the kids. The family moved from the east side of the state to the Black Hills in 2016 and heard about the Black Hills Raptor center through education program presentations.
“My family just really likes birds and through those programs, we love seeing the birds up close,” Erin explained.
She inquired about volunteering, filled out an application online and waited until Alex turned the minimum volunteer age of 12 to get started.
Maggie Engler, Executive Director, said they have about 75 volunteers on average each year. Volunteers are vital to the operation of the center, she said.
“We have no paid staff; I too am a volunteer,” she said. “Without volunteers, we would be a tiny, tiny operation, doing 12-15 programs per year and not helping any injured raptors. These people are the backbone of the nonprofit.”
Every Monday afternoon, Erin and Alex prepare the birds’ food and take it to a housing complex. Each bird is fed individually and requires a specific amount of food, vitamins and supplements to help them heal or maintain their health.
All of the education birds at the Black Hills Raptor Center are permanently injured. For some, the injury is physical. For others, the injury is mental. The center’s US Fish & Wildlife Service permit requires that the birds at the center be non-releasable, which means much of the work of the BH Raptor Center is not only focused on helping birds heal but also educating the public on bird species native to South Dakota.
As part of their volunteer work each week, Erin and Alex weigh the birds and take some of the birds outside to get more sunlight.
Learning how to care for and handle the birds has been fulfilling, Erin said, but she’s really watched Alex shine through the education program. Through that program, the center’s volunteers and staff visit schools, nursing homes and local events, bringing along some of the birds to help teach.
Alex has grown fond of many of the birds – particularly Freya, a red-tailed hawk; Gaia, a broad-winged hawk; and Soren, a barn owl. He knows how much they eat, their temperaments and how to safely handle them.
“It’s fun to see Alex gain confidence,” she said. “He really has grown in his ability to talk in front of people and to people he doesn’t know.”
Alex was uncertain about speaking to crowds initially. That’s all changed.
“He loves to talk now because he has that knowledge and experience to share,” she said. “The residents at senior citizen centers just think he’s the most adorable kid.”
Alex feels the same – and he has a mission in mind when he’s in front of people.
“I hope people learn and start to understand the world of raptors, nature and the world around them,” he said.
Erin hopes to inspire other families, especially kids, to get excited about volunteer work.
“It’s important for children to interact with lots of different people and different ages,” she said. “Some of the volunteers at the raptor center are in their 20s and some are in their 70s. It’s so good for them to gain skills, but also different perspectives and new experiences.”
Engler loves to see young people volunteer alongside adults.
“It’s very beneficial for young people,” she said. “How can they learn the skills of helping others in their community without the opportunity to directly participate in the process?”
At the center, children as young as 12 can volunteer with an adult family member or work alongside another adult volunteer.
“The adults here are great mentors,” she said. “For the most part, they too are parents or grandparents. They engage well with kids, watch for opportunities to get the kids to help do special tasks, and teach them skills. Sometimes having adults other than your own parents share things you want to learn is the best guidance a kid can get.”
Erin knows how hard it is to juggle volunteer work alongside a full life.
“But volunteer work is so important,” she said. “Yes, it’s a challenge to make it happen, but for us, it’s a really good way to serve and have time together.”
While giving back to the community is important, Erin has found that serving alongside your kids strengthens relationships with your own family.
“As our kids get older, it’s harder to maintain that connection,” she said. “So, we have that 20-minute drive together to the Raptor Center and home, and it’s time together there while we serve. It’s making memories together.”
Erin sees deeper benefits to her family as they serve together – figuring things out when all doesn’t go as planned.
“When you’re reaching outside to help something or someone outside of yourself, it helps you learn how to resolve conflict better,” she said. “We did this selfishly in the beginning because we loved the birds, but now it’s this great opportunity to help other people learn about the natural world.”