Volunteer Spotlight: Chaquana Hales

Our volunteer of the month is Chaquana Hales. Chaquana has phenomenal for us here at Flamingo Gardens. She’s primarily here on the weekends and works in guest services. The energy and hospitality she has brought to this department has been notable. Guests have frequently raved about the experience they have as soon as they enter because of her. Our employees have found that she makes the experience more pleasant as well. Chaquana greets and guides with grace and she has shown how special an impact you can make is us when you have the right attitude. We are very thankful to have her at with us.

Volunteer Spotlight: Michael Newman

Our Volunteer of the Month for August is Michael Newman. Michael has been here volunteering everywhere this month. He can be seen in our Cafe and Gift-Shop mostly. Michael is all smiles and so pleasant. He’s particularly gifted at making guests feel welcome and we are extremely grateful for his presence.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sebastian Reano

Our Volunteer of the Month for July is Sebastian Reano. Sebastian has been here all summer volunteering and he has done some of everything. Most frequently he has been a guide in the gallery encouraging guests to engage with our latest exhibit. He has also volunteered at the Tram, Cafe, Aviary, Gift Shop and assisted in keeping our sanctuary clean. We want to thank Sebastian and recognize the hard work and consistency he’s had all summer. We appreciate you.

Volunteer Spotlight: Valentina Resnick

Our Volunteer of the Month for June is Valentina Resnick. Valentina has done a phenomenal job volunteering in our Animal Care Department. Throughout the months she has come highly recommended and has received numerous compliments from our staff. She is an eager and effective volunteer who has done everything asked of her in that department. Valentina has been so superbly exceptional that this is last time she can ever be the volunteer of the month because Animal Care loved her so much that she has now been hired as an employee. For all the hard work, time and effort she put into volunteering, we want to say Thank You Valentina. Welcome to the team.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jack Hayes

Our Volunteer of the Month for May is Jack Hayes. Jack comes to Flamingo Gardens with such a humble demeanor ready to give his all.

Jack can often be seen assisting in the Gallery with the various exhibits on display. He also routinely makes the flamingo food bags that our guests love.

Jack does every task we need graciously. This year he has been so welcoming and willing to learn how to be effective in many departments and has even shown to be able to help in our Food Services.

Volunteers like Jack keep us going and grounded and we are thankful to have him.

Volunteer Spotlight: Joshua Hernandez

Our Volunteer of the Month for March is Joshua Hernandez. Joshua has completed over 100 hours for Flamingo Gardens. Most days Joshua can be seen clearing out a wide ranging amount of invasive plants species. He also is eager to learn and will give you tons of information on the various invasive plants as well as other plants he encounters. As of late Joshua has also been assisting our Orchidteers. He is reliable, dependable, gracious, and dedicated. We are very happy to have Joshua as a volunteer.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jose Quintanilla

Our Volunteer of the Month for February is Jose Quintanilla. Jose has totaled nearly 200 hours since volunteering with us and has been helpful in every way. Primarily guiding in our Gallery with our various exhibits, Jose is quick to work and extremely proactive. He helps with our event setups as well and can always be called upon to do anything Hospitality related. His demeanor always puts our guests in the best mood and he is extremely gracious while doing so. We are so thankful to have him volunteering here and we look forward to the future volunteer projects he will be apart of.

Volunteer Spotlight: Larnell Pinson

We are thrilled to celebrate Larnell Pinson as our Volunteer of the Month! Larnell joined the Flamingo Gardens volunteer team late last year, and from the moment she started, she has been an incredible asset to our organization.

In just a short time, Larnell contributed over 500 hours of her time, consistently showing up with dedication and a positive attitude. She initially made a significant impact with our exhibits before lending her talents to our special events. During our Garden of Lights, Larnell went above and beyond, assisting both during the day and into the evening. No matter where she was needed, she stepped in with enthusiasm and skill.

However, it was in Animal Care where Larnell truly shone. Her extensive prior knowledge allowed her to make a remarkable impact in the department, earning the respect and admiration of our team. In fact, she was so exceptional that she has officially transitioned from volunteer to a permanent member of our Animal Care Team!

While we’ll miss having Larnell as a volunteer, we are so excited to see all that she will accomplish in her new role. Congratulations, Larnell, and thank you for everything you’ve done to make Flamingo Gardens a better place!

Volunteer Spotlight: Ryan Xu

Our Volunteer of the Month is Ryan Xu. Ryan is one of the most courteous and respectful volunteers we’ve ever had. In his time here he has already amassed over 70+ hours. Ryan most notably volunteers with our Orchidteers. He can be seen watering the orchids as well as well as getting his hands dirty. This month Ryan has also helped us with Garden of Lights which as you know is one of the most momentous events we have here at Flamingo Garden. It has a been pleasure to have him volunteer with us.

Volunteer Spotlight: Sol Rua

Our Volunteer of the Month for November Sol Rua. Sol has primarily been volunteering in Animal Care for the past few months and has made a serious impact. She is punctual and takes such great directives and is always ready for the tasks. We feel particularly proud of her as a volunteer because she was nominated by multiple staff members to be the volunteer of the month and when a suggestion comes so highly recommended you just must listen to it. Sol has in a short time already volunteered for over 65 hours and we couldn’t be more appreciative. She helps Flamingo Gardens be strong in mind, body and Sol.