Nathan Hager, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Do you enjoy playing tourist on the National Mall? How would you like to show some real tourists around?
The Trust for the National Mall is looking for volunteers to take part in the inauguration of its Roving Docent program.
This new class of volunteer tour guides will supplement the existing docent programs at the Mall’s monuments and memorials.
“There are not a lot of monuments and memorials from 15th Street to 3rd Street,” says Trust for the National Mall president Caroline Cunningham. “We want to make certain that the people who are visiting the Mall on that end get as much attention as the rest of the Mall.”
Volunteers will work in pairs and will be expected to commit to at least two days a month, either full- or part-time.
They’ll be trained for about two weeks this spring on the Mall’s history, attractions, and the Trust itself.
“They will greet visitors, they will give them directions, which is a huge issue,” says Cunningham. “We just think that the added number of volunteers on the national mall will enhance the visitor experience.”
The Trust for the National Mall is the official fundraising partner of the National Park Service for the Mall. It estimates about 25 million people visit the grassy expanse known as America’s Front Yard each year.
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