By Laura Rogers
Non-profit Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism is our local visitor resource center and an overflowing wealth of information for folks who are new to the area. There is so much to share about our amazing county. From the mountains to the sea and all of the fun in between, Whatcom County is an incredible place. It’s obvious why so many volunteers are eager to meet with visitors and spend time serving with the tourism bureau.
Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism CEO, Loni Rahm, can’t say enough good things about the volunteers she and her staff get to work with. “We are constantly amazed at the dedication, enthusiasm and depth of knowledge our volunteers provide to visitors. Our volunteers are retired professionals who bring an interesting community perspective to each visitor interaction,” she explains. “Many of them have been with us for 10 or more years. Some for 20 plus years. I learn something new about them every day.”
Tourism volunteer, Ed Cook, has been with Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism for five years. Ed moved to Bellingham after retiring from the marketing department at Chevron. In his career days, he and his family followed his job across many states. Ed, with his wife and four children, lived everywhere from New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho.
After retirement, Ed decided to move to Bellingham to be near one of his daughters and his three grandchildren. Finding the Bellingham-Whatcom tourism bureau was just what he needed to get him out of the house and in the community one half-day per week. At the visitor center on Potter Street, Ed handles the usual volunteer tasks of answering phones, talking to customers, stocking the shelves with pamphlets and stuffing information packets for mailing. “The best part of my job,” says Ed, “is talking to all of the interesting people who come in. I usually try to find out their interests and then lead them toward the activities to which they’re inclined, whether that be Mount Baker, Fairhaven, Lynden or Lummi Island; there are so many good choices here.”
Like Ed, Denis Hayner is another much-valued volunteer with Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism. A former mechanical engineer, Denis has served with the visitor center for the past seven years. Denis grew up in Michigan and then relocated to Massachusetts, where he spent his career designing aircraft engines for GE.
When Denis’ son moved to Washington for grad school, Denis followed, settling in Lynnwood for the first 10 years. One perk of moving closer to his son was his proximity to his new grandson. Denis volunteered at the Edmonds Visitor Center as a way to get to know the area. Finding his experience in Edmons enjoyable and rewarding, Denis decided to enlist his services with Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism when he moved up to Bellingham seven years ago.
Denis continues to serve Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism at the Potter Street visitor center for one half-day per week. This leaves him plenty of spare time to enjoy the company of his now 16-year-old grandson. Denis performs many of the same tasks as Ed and the other volunteers such as helping with mailings and showing visitors various maps and tools. He enjoys recommending walks around town like the Interurban Trail. Among other things, Denis loves “Just being of help to people who are new to the area.” Denis adds with a laugh,“One of the more common questions I answer is actually: ‘Where is Trader Joe’s?’ Sometimes we field the easier questions, too.”
Another retiree and valuable member of Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism’s volunteer force, Bill Butler used to work for the large utility company Edison in Los Angeles — the city where he was also born and raised. When Bill’s daughter moved to Bellingham, he would come up to visit her and eventually decided to retire here. After relocating to Bellingham, Bill’s friends would fly up to see him and check out his new town. He noticed these friends couldn’t seem to stay away. They returned time after time. “I always had a map with me and would take my friends out to all kinds of places. I’m a very inquisitive person, so I spent time learning everything I could about the area from the islands to the trails and everything in between.”
Bill’s inquisitive nature and quick knowledge of the area made him a shoe-in as a volunteer at the Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism center. Bill started volunteering way back in 1987, and he must enjoy his time with the visitor bureau, as he’s stuck with it for an impressive 28 years. Like Ed and Denis, Bill works one half-day a week. The aspect he appreciates most about his volunteer work is “meeting a lot of really nice people from around the world.” Perhaps Bill’s most memorable volunteer experience thus far happened one day when the Alaska Ferry broke down. Some folks from Germany needed to get to Alaska on a tight timeline. Bill quickly helped them catch a plane from Bellingham to Seattle and from Seattle to Anchorage. They made it just in time.
Another part of Bill’s volunteer role that he considers both valuable and fun is the “Fam Tours.” This is short for Familiarization Tours, in which the volunteers take a van around to several new businesses in town (maybe five or seven of them in a day) to see and hear exactly what each business does. “It’s really helpful for us to see first-hard what these businesses are all about so we can accurately explain them to visitors, and we usually combine it with a lunch trip, so everyone has a good time.”
San Juan Cruises and Marriott Towne Place Suites are two local businesses who generously assist with the Fam Tours; making the tours as entertaining as they are informative. Loni Rahm explains, “We rely upon our volunteers in so many ways. It’s incumbent upon us to keep them aware of what’s new and exciting — so they can share their personal experiences with visitors.”
There are opportunities to join the volunteer team at Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism, despite the center’s many amazing, dedicated volunteers. Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism is currently seeking volunteer ambassadors for its Potter Street and downtown info centers, the airport, the cruise terminal and Bellis Fair. Prospective volunteers can apply online or call 360-671-3990 for more information.
