Page 31 - March24

Community Building
Another way to find ways to give back is to search the website of the destination marketing organization that represents the place you’re visiting. Some will have links and event listings, while others will go as far as having a list of places to volunteer.
One example is the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, which represents the towns, villages and attractions along 100-plus miles of shoreline making up the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The area is known for its beaches and, among other National Park Service sites, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, honoring Wilbur and Orville Wright’s historic Dec. 17, 1903, flight in Kill Devils Hill.
With just 37,000 year-round residents and more than 100 nonprofit organizations, the community relies on volunteers who come to the Outer Banks as tourists. Through a recent initiative to connect visitors to these opportunities, you will see a volunteer tab on OuterBanks.org that lists dozens of organizations and events taking volunteers. Activities range from working a couple of hours at the local food bank or animal shelter to spending time at a nonprofit attraction or joining beach and land cleanup efforts.
The visitors bureau hopes that by getting involved with local nonprofits, you’ll come away with a deeper
appreciation for the community and a greater sense of responsibility to protect and preserve the area while visiting.
Another example is Lake Tahoe, whose tourism is largely tied to natural resources – the largest freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada and the largest alpine lake in North America. The community has a campaign to promote responsible tourism and both the Visit Lake Tahoe and North Lake Tahoe destination marketing organizations promote ways to get involved on their websites.
Many opportunities are available June through September, from workdays coordinated by the Tahoe Rim Trail Association to beach, stream and trail cleanups and citizen science such as aquatic invasive species identification via the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Find an extensive list of ways to get involved with the league’s Keep Tahoe Blue initiative at keeptahoeblue. o r g / v o l u n t e e r.
If the concept of being a voluntourist is new to you, I challenge you to start by planning to volunteer on one vacation this year. Hopefully the feeling of giving back to a community you’re visiting makes you want to incorporate volunteering into more vacations. KA
MARCH 2024
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 29