There was a rushed feel at first. Our final shift had ended at the Racquet Club and other volunteers were quickly in the process of transforming our venue into the site of the Sundance Film Festival Awards. Before that took place though, the Racquet Club Team B had a few moments to gather in the press tent for one final time.
If you’ve seen my Active Appreciation workshop, you know that I’m a fan of thanking and recognition. The three major ideas of that workshop are to shift from Group to Individual, from General to Specific, and from the Expected/Traditional method to the Unexpected & Creative. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen all of that take place in such a fun manner.
The festival does a great job in recognizing its volunteers. There is a special volunteer jacket, opportunities to see films, a special volunteer appreciation day, and regular emails with links to articles whenever someone praises the volunteers in the press–it’s part of what makes the experience so fun.
My special Racquetball Club Team B group took it to another level. The Theatre Manager and Assistant Managers began a tradition while at another venue a few years back called “The Honey Bear Awards” (Utah has been known as “The Bee Hive State”). A collection of small bear-shaped honey jars were brought out and a full awards show commenced. The dedication to the whole production is part of what made the short ceremony so fun. One by one, each volunteer on the team was recognized with their own Honey Bear–their award linked to an aspect of their task, personality, and/or contribution as well as the title of a specific film from the festival. Each recipient made a short speech and each award created more laughter, smiles, and photographs as we tried to celebrate these last few moments together.
I spent most of my volunteer time in the tent, communicating with ticketholders and those in the waitlist. For my efforts, I received the “happythankyoumoreplease” award.
I know its a bottle of honey, but there is meaning behind it. When I arrived back in Phoenix the following day, I took it out of my suitcase and proudly displayed it on the memory shelf I have in my office. I’ve already looked at it several times–it serving as a reminder of an amazing volunteer experience with new friends and a way to do appreciation right.