When it comes to volunteers for Forest Preserve District of Will County, one name always sticks out when it appears on the list: Kim Shehorn.
“She has such a passion for the volunteer program,” said Emily Kenny, the district’s volunteer services supervisor. “Everyone — whether staff or volunteers — working with her, they’re excited. You know you’re going to work with someone who is going to be fun and passionate and great to be around.”
That enthusiasm was cited last month when the district named Shehorn its 2022 Volunteer of the Year. Shehorn has spent approximately 250 hours helping in the preserves since she started volunteering in 2020 as part of the Habitat Management Mornings program.
Shehorn, a 24-year resident of Frankfort, said volunteerism has been part of who she is since she was a young child. She spent a lot of time with her grandmother, who always volunteered at church. Shehorn followed suit.
“It was never actually a conscious decision,” she said. “It’s always just something that I’ve done. It’s been part of my life.”
Shehorn volunteered for a number of different organizations when her children got into grade school and high school. But the pandemic was the start of her time volunteering for the Will County preserves. Another outdoor organization where she volunteered shut down most everything during the pandemic, so Shehorn found herself looking for other opportunities. She found a match in Will County.
“It was everything I liked to do,” Shehorn said. “I’m a gardener. I’m a hiker. I love birding. It was just a natural fit.”
She started doing the Habitat Management Mornings — publicly offered volunteer opportunities people often use to earn community service hours. Shehorn said those programs remain incredibly rewarding.
“You can see your progress,” she said. “You go in and there’s all honeysuckle everywhere. You can barely move. By the time you leave, it’s all been cleared. Then, the next season, you’re taking a hike along the path at Hickory Creek and you can see all the way through to where you couldn’t see before.”
After half a year, Shehorn wanted to get more involved and started with the Prairie People Volunteer Program, which allows volunteers to do certain tasks without staff on hand. Shehorn said it helped scratch an itch after she moved on from 12 years of directing museum education programs.
Shehorn obtained an herbicide certificate and trained on power tool usage to do restoration work. She also has done kayaking programs and prep work for programs prior to events.
“I missed that interaction with the public,” Shehorn said. “It was just a natural jump.”
Kenny said part of what makes Shehorn so special is her versatility as a volunteer.
“We have some really intelligent volunteers who are great at the task at hand,” Kenny said. “We have some really personable volunteers that are doing the info tables, but that’s their niche. We have a lot of niche volunteers in the district. … Not everyone has the drive, the determination, the knowledge and has that all in one package.”
Shehorn said she loves the variety of going from habitat management programs to plant sales, being an expert one day and working cash registers the next. She also has doubled up on morning and evening events.
“That is an amazing dedication to helping out,” Kenny said.
Shehorn acknowledged the work can often be hard, sometimes in the freezing cold and other times in the heat of summer. But the camaraderie of the volunteers makes it an easy decision to keep coming back to preserves such as Hickory Creek, Keepataw and Hammel Woods.
“I love the people that I volunteer with,” she said. “They make it fun.”
Shehorn also loves to get out to the Plum Creek, Four Rivers and Hidden Oaks nature centers. As a single woman with children old enough to be out of the house, Shehorn said it is relatively easy to find the time to volunteer often when she isn’t working as an administrative assistant. The geographical convenience of the Will County preserves doesn’t hurt.
“Frankfort’s right in the middle of the county, so I volunteer from the east side to the west side,” she said. “It’s an easy drive to get to any of the preserves.”
Shehorn is relatively new to the game compared to some volunteers who have worked with the preserves for more than 30 years but has already made a mark. Kenny said the preserves would be lucky to have her help for years to come.
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“I hope that she’ll continue with us,” Kenny said. “We’d love to have her.”
The good news for Kenny is Shehorn said she plans to stick with the preserves for a long time. She appreciates the hard work the staff puts into the programming and seeing people enjoy it. Most importantly, she enjoys the time she spends in the preserves.
“I have fun,” Shehorn said. “If I didn’t have fun, I wouldn’t volunteer.”
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.