Volunteers are not paid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. This quote definitely applies to the volunteers at the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce and Regional Visitor Center.
The chambers award-winning Regional Visitor Information Center assists more than 43,000 walk-in visitors and responds to more than 561,000 inquiries a year. The Visitor Center sees more than 100 visitors each day with inquiries of where to stay, eat, or play in Snohomish County. To reward the volunteers for their dedication and hard work the group recently took a trip to Mukilteo. These familiarization tours (FAM tours) are a great way for the volunteers to see firsthand what businesses in the area offer.
With the support of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers, Linnie Boyes, Director of Sales for the Silver Cloud Inn at Mukilteo, said, On behalf of the Silver Cloud Inn of Mukilteo and the many businesses in Snohomish County that benefit from your generous time and effort Thank You we appreciate all that you do for us.
Two of the chambers members sponsored the FAM tour for the volunteers. Marysvilles Grandview Village provided transportation with driver Gary Bowler to take nine volunteers from the Visitor Center down to Mukilteo. Linnie Boyes provided a tour of the Silver Cloud Inn and arranged lunch at Arnies.
After lunch, the tour of businesses around Mukilteo continued at the Diamond Knot Brewery. The brewery demonstrated one of their specialties, steak grilled on a hot rock right at your table. The FAM tour continued down to the famous Mukilteo Lighthouse where its history was a favorite of many volunteers. To end the day, Boyes led the volunteers on a walking tour of old downtown Mukilteo where some of the sites visited were the Mukilteo Coffee Shop and the Tea House.
After the tour some volunteers were asked their thoughts on the FAM tour of businesses in Mukilteo. Jimmie Manning said, The tour was very interesting and informative. Misook Smith said, I loved the 150-year-old French lantern displayed in the lighthouse. The food at Arnies was excellent. Jacuzzi room and the adjoining rooms at the Silver Cloud Inn were fantastic. Mukilteo is such a quaint town. Darlene Weiss said, Lighthouses are always a fun activity for kids and adults too. I would like to visit the Diamond Knot to cook my own meal on the hot rocks.
Although temperatures were in the high 90s the FAM tour of Mukilteo businesses was a success. Visitor Center volunteer Darlene Weiss said, The Silver Cloud Inn was very nice and Id recommend it to people that want to be by the water. This is an example of how FAM tours can increase your business exposure and ensure that your products or services are referred by the people who really know. If you are interested in hosting a Volunteer FAM tour, or providing goods or services for a Volunteer Appreciation Day, please contact the Chamber at 360-659-7700.
Do you enjoy meeting people from around the world? Have you thought about volunteering? The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber and Regional Visitor Center has many volunteer opportunities. Even business owners have found volunteering at the center rewarding. The chamber provides training, orientation and field trips to area businesses. Call 360-659-7700 for more information about joining our volunteer team. You may just find volunteering to be one of most rewarding experiences that you have encountered.