June 1, 2026

Hear from one of our dedicated volunteers, Heather McNamee, and find out how you can get involved in our co-managed volunteer program.

Gateway Arch Park Foundation’s co-managed volunteer program with Gateway Arch National Park is the heartbeat of our organization. Through their generous donation of time, each one of our volunteers makes a direct impact on the Foundation’s mission to uplift and support our hometown national park.

There is a role for everyone, including supporting National Park Service rangers in their duties at the park, assisting with grounds maintenance, supplementing Foundation staff at community programs, and helping with administrative needs in the Foundation office. Whether it’s one hour or hundreds, every volunteer effort creates monumental impact.

We sat down with long-time volunteer Heather McNamee, who recently reached 250 volunteer hours over her two years of service and was named our 2026 Volunteer of the Year. McNamee is involved in nearly every type of volunteer opportunity we offer, from our annual community events to special events like the Old Courthouse reopening last year and National Park Service programs like Trails and Rails. McNamee first got involved with our co-managed volunteer program after finding open opportunities on a local website.
 
“I know how prominent the Arch and Foundation are, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to put myself out there,” said McNamee. “I knew there was a Foundation, but I didn’t understand the expanse of what it did to support the Arch and the Park.”

While she’s involved in many volunteer opportunities at the Park, McNamee is an enthusiastic volunteer at both the Museum at the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse. At these locations, she supports rangers by staffing the visitor services desks, taking tickets at Tucker Theater, and answering visitor questions, all
of which give rangers more opportunities to take a break or share a ranger presentation.

McNamee expresses her gratitude for the rangers as well: “I lean heavily on the rangers to learn about the subject matter at our museums. They’re great at answering my questions or filling in any gaps to make sure volunteers are knowledgeable about the content.”

Through her volunteer work, McNamee hopes she’s leaving people with a positive and pleasant experience at Gateway Arch National Park. She’s also finding personal fulfillment while generously giving her time.

“I enjoy the opportunity to socialize with individuals from different states and from around St. Louis,” McNamee said. “We’re all in Gateway Arch National Park for the same thing, but we all come from somewhere different. It’s so interesting to share an experience with people who are outside your normal walks of life.”

"I volunteer because I like to give my time. And, in return, that gives me those warm fuzzies."

Heather McNamee
Volunteer

There are many ways individuals can volunteer through the Foundation’s co-managed program, and to McNamee, potential volunteers don’t necessarily have to have hours upon hours available to volunteer.

She shares her advice to those looking to be more involved: “Volunteering is fitting things into the life you already have. If you have a few spare hours here and there throughout a week or a month, fill them with the opportunity of going to an event and meeting new people. There’s always the occasion to grow your social circle, and why not try volunteering to do that?”

If you’d like to get involved with our volunteer program or learn more about our upcoming volunteer projects and opportunities, contact Volunteer Manager, Grace Teofilo Hilker, at grace.teofilo@archpark.org.

Become a Volunteer