Wonder Lab’s volunteers work many hours, essential to success

On the second floor of WonderLab, a volunteer worker informs Jaron Newton that the hot-air balloon exhibit isn’t working. After a quick survey of the balloon, which is supposed to rise to the top of the building, Newton looks slightly puzzled.

“I don’t know how to fix a hot-air balloon,” he says, as he calls for backup.

Hot-air balloon repair was never in Newton’s job description. In fact, like many employees and volunteers at WonderLab, his job has never actually had a description.

WonderLab, a museum of health, science and technology that was recently voted one of the “Top 25 Science Centers in the United States” by Parents magazine, has one of Bloomington’s largest volunteer communities. According to WonderLab’s Web site, 863 individuals volunteered more than 14,000 hours at the museum last year.

As a non-profit organization, volunteers are essential to WonderLab’s success. Even with the help of volunteers, the museum costs $1 million yearly to operate, an expense offset by ticket and membership sales, grants and donations, said the museum’s marketing director Louise Schlesinger.

Newton, a student here at IU, began working at WonderLab last fall as part of the school’s work-study program. First handling the scheduling, Newton is now acting as an interim floor manager every Saturday along with his regular duty of training new volunteers. Though he is scheduled for 15 hours weekly, Newton usually volunteers more hours if needed, a practice he says is common at the museum.

Newton first heard about WonderLab through one of his professors, Catherine Olmer, who also serves as WonderLab’s executive director. As an education major at the time, Newton felt the experience of working with children would be beneficial. Though he changed his major in the spring semester last year, he has continued to work at the museum.

Newton said the best part of working at WonderLab is being part of a more informal learning process.

“You let kids decide what they want to learn. There’s no rule other than don’t break stuff,” Newton said.

Fran Weinberg, a community member who volunteers at WonderLab, has given more than 1,000 hours to the museum since 1995. Weinberg said early in the museum’s development she would visit other science museums, bringing back information on what would and wouldn’t work for WonderLab. Weinberg has been a longtime supporter of the museum because of her belief in its learning potential. 

“Kids can’t learn unless they are enjoying themselves,” she said.

Other than her time, Weinberg has also donated items to the museum’s live animal exhibits, attractions she says are her favorite.

“I bought the climber for the dragon because he looked like he needed one,” she said, referring to the network of branches in the bearded dragons’ terrarium.

Like Newton, Weinberg finds satisfaction in sharing the experience of discovery with children every time she volunteers.

“You can see lights go on, and it’s great,” she said.

Those interested in taking part in the WonderLab learning experience can visit from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday for the discounted price of $1 as part of WonderLab’s sixth annual Dollar Day, co-sponsored by Monroe Bank and Southern Indiana Radiological Associates Inc.

Schlesinger said Dollar Day is intended to make the museum more accessible to everyone.

Though WonderLab allows either free or discounted entry for social service groups such as Big Brothers Big Sisters on a regular basis, Dollar Day makes it affordable for all families to visit the museum together, an experience that is much different from going with groups, Schlesinger said.

Those who donate their time to WonderLab have a favorite exhibit they recommend to first-timers on Dollar Day.

Schleshinger suggests the two-story vine climber, which can hold a Volkswagon Beetle on every oversized leaf. And as for Weinberg, the custom-made Rube Goldberg machine on the first floor is just waiting to be explored. “It plays “Starlight” by Hoagie Carmichael – if you know what to press.”