This 50-year-old group has provided helped the Whatcom Museum in countless ways

The Whatcom Museum Advocates celebrate their 50th anniversary as a volunteer support group this summer.

The Advocates provide volunteer hours, fundraising efforts and educational opportunities for the community. From tag sales to teas and artist studio tours to lectures, the group offers its members, as well as the general public, many activities and programs that enhance the Museum experience.

First formed in 1968 as the Whatcom Museum Docents, the volunteer members served in a broad range of roles that included running the Museum store, working at the attendant desks, answering phone calls and hosting fundraiser auctions and special events.

Throughout the decades, fundraising and “friendraising” have remained the primary focus of the organization, and the group has raised more than $250,000, which has supported Museum exhibitions and educational programs.

The first big project that the Docents helped raise essential funding for was the renovation of Old City Hall after a fire in 1968 damaged the clock tower and third and fourth levels of the building.

In a report by one of the early Docent presidents, Margaret Lewis, she said, “Being a Docent in those years in the beginnings of the Museum was very interesting, very time consuming but very gratifying, because we felt we were helping start something in Whatcom County that was important."

Today, the group is no longer called the Docents, but is instead the Museum Advocates and has more than 100 volunteer members. The Advocates host programs and lectures related to the Museum’s mission, or tied directly to current exhibitions.

Programs are free to the public and offered at noon on the second Thursday of each month from September through May at Old City Hall. The next program on Sept. 13 will feature artists participating in the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour and whose work will be featured in a juried exhibition at Old City Hall in September.

The Advocates are planning for the 13th anniversary of their Tag Sale fundraising event, to be hosted at the Museum’s Syre Education Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 22.

Events like the Tag Sale support upcoming exhibitions hosted at the Museum such as “Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity” opening in September.

The Advocates are also major contributors to the Museum’s annual community program, Deck the Old City Hall. Volunteers spend countless hours decorating Old City Hall for the holidays, and provide support throughout the duration of the program by serving as greeters, program facilitators and more.

The Museum Advocates encourage all members of the Museum to explore the opportunities that they provide to serve on committees and offer much-needed volunteer services to the Museum. For more information about the Museum Advocates, visit whatcommuseum.org/support/volunteer/ or attend a free program.

The Museum Advocates are currently accepting donations of antiques, jewelry, small furnishings, and art for the Tag Sale. Call 360-778-8988 to arrange for drop-off of items. All proceeds benefit programing and exhibitions at the Museum.