We don’t know exactly when Evelyn Sim started volunteering with the Fort St. John North Peace Museum, but it was certainly sometime in the 1900s.
Evelyn is a past president of the North Peace Historical Society, and received a special thank you at its annual general meeting on March 1 to recognize her more than 30 years of committed service. This past Christmas tea was her last event before she retired at the end of the year.
President Bruce Christensen says museum volunteers like Evelyn put in hours equivalent to two full-time employees in 2022; in total, 98 volunteers put in 3,736 hours last year.
"We need volunteers, we have good volunteers," said Christensen. "We have lots more to do. So if you're looking for something to do, a couple hours here, a couple hours there, we would appreciate that you would come out and give us a hand."
The not-for-profit museum saw 2,459 paid visitors in 2022, up from a pandemic low of just 637 in all of 2020. The museum last year gave 43 guided tours and educational programs, and responded to a record 155 archival requests.
