Published May 31, 2024
Volunteer Spotlight: Kathleen Shanahan
Have you ever wondered how your Five Rivers MetroParks trails stay safe, clean and usable? You can thank MetroParks’ Volunteer Patrol (MVPs) who spend a lot of their time on the trails year-round, offering friendly guidance to hikers and helping the trails stay beautiful.
Their role includes being a friendly face, interacting with the public, offering help with which trail to go on, helping trails remain safe and beautiful, picking up litter, low level maintenance like moving branches, and notifying MetroParks staff if bigger projects require their attention.
Kathleen Shanahan started as a hike patrol MVP in early 2016. She joined the MetroParks’ volunteer team before that, serving in a variety of roles, including helping at Adopt-A-Park, trail maintenance, picking up litter, planting trees, invasive species removal and even fostering tree seedlings.
Shanahan believes Metroparks is “a gem in our community.” She was personally introduced to a new outdoor activity through MetroParks’ backpacking for women class series, which she now considers one of her favorite ways to spend time, and has seen many of her friends discover new parks and hobbies through MetroParks programs and trails challenges. This made it an easy choice for her to pursue volunteering in the parks.
“My whole life I’ve spent a fair amount of time outside and on the trails,” said Shanahan. “I thought ‘I get so much enjoyment from this, I should give back and make sure other people have the same experience.’”
Shanahan is retiring from her job at St. Vincent de Paul Dayton as the homeless solutions program coordinator and is excited to have more time to spend in the MetroParks. When asked if she plans to continue volunteering, she responded: “YES!”
“It’s one of the things I’m looking forward to because there are always opportunities during the weekdays that I’ve never been able to do,” Shanahan said. “I’m looking forward to being able to expand my role with MetroParks.”
Shanahan encourages anyone thinking about volunteering with MetroParks to just do it. She highlights that there are many ways and places to volunteer, so there are opportunities for everyone to be involved.
“I want spending time in the MetroParks to be a good experience – both because I love being outside and because being outside can be such a healing place for people,” said Shanahan. “We want visitors to have a good experience and want them to want to come back.”
Thank you, Kathleen, for your outstanding commitment, dedication, and service to Five Rivers MetroParks!
To learn more about how to become a Five Rivers MetroParks volunteer, visit metroparks.org/volunteer.
