Ocean Institute Names Leah Carlisle 2008 Volunteer of the Year
DANA POINT, CA, April 14, 2008 - The Ocean Institute is pleased to announce that Leah Carlisle of Dana Point is its 2008 Volunteer of the Year. For six years, she has been an active volunteer onboard the Institute's tall ship Pilgrim. Her husband, Henry, is also an active Pilgrim volunteer.
"Leah has an incredible enthusiasm and a generous and caring spirit," noted Karen Lloreda, Manager of Volunteer Services. "She's someone you can ask to help at the last minute and she comes through for you. She's a rare person."
Carlisle is a retired English and history teacher, having taught junior high and high school students for 38 years. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and as a child read stories about sailing on tall ships. She related, "I developed a love of tall ships; it became my lifelong dream to sail on one."
She served a year training teachers in Ethiopia for the Peace Corps in 1966, and subsequently met husband Henry, a fellow Peace Corps volunteer. They have one son together, Joel, and one grandson, Jacob, age 3. Her dedication to the Pilgrim is, in part, motivated by her desire to share her love of tall ships with children such as Jacob.
She explained, "We're all volunteering at the Ocean Institute for the same purpose, to make the world a better place. We’re doing this for future generations."
Carlisle serves at the Pilgrim's volunteer coordinator. She creates a newsletter, sends out notices to crewmembers, introduces new volunteers to the ship, prepares morning coffee for volunteers on Saturdays, performs simple maintenance and serves as a deck hand. She is also starting a nautical library and editing a new, illustrated version of Two Years Before the Mast (an 1830s story by Richard Henry Dana telling of his visit to California onboard the Pilgrim).
She noted, "Volunteering on the Pilgrim is a terrific experience. It's challenging, and there is always something new to learn. The crew is wonderful as well, there is really a sense of family among them."
Additional volunteers for the Ocean Institute are always welcome. Contact Karen Lloreda at (949) 496-2274, ext. 221.
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