Volunteer Spotlight: Featuring Carole Romaine

By:  Iris Clearwater, Volunteer Coordinator & Senior Gardener

Do you know any kids who love Legos?  Imagine a table covered in Legos of all shapes and sizes to explore creating your own fantasy car with, inspired by the stunning cars you passed on your way at the Heritage Auto Show!  Look up and you will see one of the fairy godmothers who made this possible, Carole Romaine, ready to help you to proudly display your creation.

Carole has been volunteering at Heritage for 29 years, since 1995, after she retired from teaching grades 3-6 in Westwood, MA to move with her husband to his family home in Falmouth, where she’s lived ever since.  Carole visited Heritage when it first opened as a young graduate starting her career, shortly before getting married and moving to the Boston area.  Attracted back to Heritage by a newspaper ad seeking volunteers for the Heritage Collections in Hand program, she enjoyed engaging Cape Cod students with grade-specific lessons centered around artifacts from the Heritage Collections, such as Colonial Crafts, Blacksmithing, and the Language of Flowers.

Before the Hundred Acre School, Carole was an educator in week-long Heritage summer camp programs onsite and at Bourne Farm.   She has led school groups and children’s educational activities here every year until COVID, assisting with all children-related spaces and events at Heritage including Family Fun Fridays, Hidden Hollow, Halloween and Gardens Aglow.  She loves being with the kids who visit Heritage, to see them let loose to explore, play, and create, often with astounding results!

She also enjoys welcoming new visitors, orienting them to experience Heritage’s many special places, taking part in the generous JK Lilly and family vision of creating this beautiful place for people to discover its extraordinary collections, carousel, gardens, and buildings – every aspect chosen and designed with thoughtfulness and care.  She has loved seeing Heritage Museums & Gardens continue to expand in this same spirit, and how experiences for children have become vital to Heritage, designed into every exhibition and event.

Carole has been a devoted volunteer every step of the way, supporting these offerings for children in every way, from active leadership to organizing behind the scenes.  According to Allie Mulrow, Director of Visitor Experience, she is willing to help the Visitor Experience department in all capacities from helping with programs to literally counting millions of prizes and sorting activities for us. We couldn’t run without her.

Why does she to make time to volunteer a couple of days a week at Heritage amidst her full life in which she enjoys golf, piano, sewing, crocheting, walking, reading, bocci, family and friends?  Carole says it has been a gift for her to contribute to the kids, to Heritage, and to build relationships with the wonderful staff here that have become like a second family.  Thank you, Carole!!!

by Iris Clearwater

To find out more about Volunteering visit our Volunteer Page!