Volunteer opportunities available at the Oshkosh Public Museum

[Oshkosh, WI – September 12, 2013] – There are a lot of things happening at the Oshkosh Public Museum this fall, from spine tingling guided tours to special activities and events for everyone to enjoy. The Museum is casting for a good team of volunteers to act in a variety of positions.

Spooky Tours invades the Museum hallways throughout the month of October. For 13 lucky nights, visitors will hear some true chilling tales of strange sightings, horrible deaths and the supernatural from Oshkosh’s past. Storytellers relate these stories in a dramatic fashion to fully capture the essence of the story and engage with the visitors. Tour Leaders are needed to lead groups to the six storytelling locations within the Museum while sharing tidbits of information and setting the stage for the stories they are about to hear. Tours are offered from 6:30-8:00 PM each Thursday, Friday and Saturday night October 3-31.

Deck the Halls, a new holiday experience at the Museum from November 12-January 12, will feature several special activities, events and exhibits, including a unique Christmas Village and Museum Train exhibit. Volunteers are being recruited to become a Sawyer domestic servant and greet visitors during the exhibit in the following areas: Storytellers, Craft & Entertainment, Food Demonstration Assistant, Parlor Games, Gallery Docent and Candy Cane Café.

If you are interested in volunteering for one of these positions at the Museum, contact Karla Szekeres at (920) 236-5763 or emailkszekeres@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. Applications are accepted through the City of Oshkosh web site at www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us. Click on Volunteer Opportunities, select the Museum and click on the Apply link.

The Oshkosh Public Museum, located at 1331 Algoma Boulevard, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM-4:30 PM and Sunday from 1-4:30 PM. For more information on how you can become a Museum Volunteer or Member, or to learn more about upcoming programs and exciting exhibits, visit www.oshkoshmuseum.org, call (920) 236-5799 or email museum@ci.oshkosh.wi.us.

About the Oshkosh Public Museum

The Oshkosh Public Museum is a regional history museum that provides a unique and close-to-home recreational and educational experience for the nearly 600,000 residents of Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago region. Housed in the historic 1908 Sawyer Home, the Museum cares for approximately 250,000 artifacts and historical documents representing all aspects of Oshkosh’s people and heritage. Founded in 1924, the city-run Museum is the second oldest public museum in the state of Wisconsin and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. The Oshkosh Public Museum is dedicated to excellence in preservation of historical collections; interactively communicating the story of Oshkosh through well-researched, quality exhibitions, programs and publications; and engaging guests in ways that inspire discovery. The Museum is located at 1331 Algoma Boulevard. For admission, hours and more information on the Oshkosh Public Museum, call (920) 236-5799 or visit www.oshkoshmuseum.org.

First Congregational Church, local Muslim community team up for blood drive

First Congregational Church in Oshkosh is teaming up with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community-Oshkosh (Lajna/Women's Auxiliary) and the Oshkosh Interfaith Group to sponsor a blood drive on Friday, September 20 from 11 am to 4 pm at First Congregational Church.

Every day it seems we're learning of a horrific story or disaster somewhere, making the need to blood constant. In fact, consider these statistics from the American Red Cross:

• Every two seconds someone in America needs blood;
• More than 38,000 pints of blood are needed in the U.S. every single day;
• Only 38 percent of the population is eligible to donate, and sadly, only a fraction of that population - about 8 percent - actually donate blood;
• Because of the constant need for blood the blood supply must be regularly replenished, making it very important that generous donors like you give regularly. But whether you give once, a few times, or every couple of months as some do, your donation is needed and vital to saving lives;

At one time or another many of us will need blood. We hope that you will take this opportunity to set aside 45 minutes to an hour to help save a life, just as someone else may do for you or a loved one some day. Staff from the American Red Cross will be on hand to assist people and perform the actual donation process; and everyone making a donation will leave with a goodie bag (besides the snack and juice available while you're donating).

For an appointment to donate on Sept. 20 at First Congregational Church, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Walk-ins are also welcome the day of the drive. You can learn more about blood donation by calling them or visiting www.redcrossblood.org.

About First Congregational Church:
First Congregational Church's motto is: 'Different Paths. Same Journey.' In other words, we understand that each of us may take different paths to make the same spiritual journey. First Congregational Church offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere that embraces everyone and judges no one, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, family structure, faith, or socio-economic status. It doesn't require you to attend services every week, nor look down on you if you can't or don't. No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey and your own spiritual travels, you are always welcome at First Congregational Church.

We are located at 137 Algoma Blvd., one block west of the Sundial in downtown Oshkosh, Wisc. Call us at (920) 231-7520 for more information or visit us online at www.fccoshkosh.org or on Facebook to see what we have to offer and the many activities that are not just a part of our life together, but a part of our involvement in the community - because we believe in serving others beyond our doors to make a difference in the world.

About the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community:
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast-growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, it spans over 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions with its current headquarters in the United Kingdom. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long-awaited Messiah prophesized by many religions has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) (1835-1908) of Qadian, India.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Oshkosh acquired Qamar Mosque, the first mosque in Oshkosh, in 2010. The community works closely with other interfaith groups and the community at large to spread understanding of the true teachings of Islam. Please contact us at (920) 385-9254,  or visit us at www.alislam.org to learn more about Islam.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public in order to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or visit us at Twitter at @RedCross.