When Josh Brosious joined the Horticulture Group about one year ago, the crew wasn’t sure he would last. Coming from a corporate banking background, one might say the transition to physical labor at a public garden in all seasons is well … a jump. Known for their grit and hard work, the “Hort Crew” just weren’t sure if this newbie-former banker would want to stick around with them. Well, as you can probably guess, those doubts were proven wrong. One year later, Josh is still with the Hort Crew — and loving every second of it.
Driving 40 minutes from Downingtown twice a week is no impediment to Josh, who found out about Tyler Arboretum through a volunteer match website. After leaving his banking job, Josh wanted to spend his time giving back, volunteering somewhere outdoors where he could work hard in a much different atmosphere than his prior employment. When he filled out the online form, he was matched with Tyler. And even though he had never been to Tyler before (except one time for a wedding, having grown up in Central Pennsylvania), he thought it sounded like a great place and a great volunteer opportunity. He grew up doing a lot of yard work, tree trimmings (i.e., “grunt work”) and thought working with the Horticulture group would be a great way to meet new people. So he filled out the application, and the rest is history.
From his first five minutes mulching with the Hort Crew, Josh knew that Tyler was the right fit. He felt “comfortable and it felt right.” It is both the hard work and the people that make working in the Horticulture group so enjoyable. Josh says the Hort Crew is a small group of dedicated people who work incredibly hard. And the staff always let the volunteers know how valuable they are.
Even though Josh is at Tyler only a few hours twice a week, he always feels like he is really part of a special group. After a career in banking, he thought it would feel strange to work in this kind of environment, but he actually feels so much more comfortable with this group of people than those from his previous job – while at the same time, feeling like he is doing something of value. He describes the group as very down-to-earth, and he has a high level of appreciation for everybody in it.
Josh Brosius in the Horticulture headquarters at Tyler Arboretum.
The “back-breaking work” also makes the experience worthwhile to him. During his time volunteering, Josh has spent a lot of time on trail maintenance, which is his favorite part of the volunteer work. Trail maintenance involves upkeep of all of the trails, keeping them nice for the visitors, trimming overhang, repairing bridges and such. He recently helped replace a big portion of the railing and stairs over the Pink Trail. He also does a lot of tree work – when trees fell this past summer, he helped carry logs out, cut up the trees, move them to the chipper and all the clean-up.
When not at Tyler, Josh is doing other volunteer work, including providing free business consulting to small businesses and mentoring individuals with intellectual disabilities. He also spends a lot of time acting as an Uber driver for his three kids (aged 15, 12 and 10). His favorite part of Tyler is Pink Hill (he says it feels “almost alien”) and his favorite season at Tyler has been summer (he likes the energy at the Arboretum during that time and working hard in the heat).
For Josh, it is worth it to battle the traffic to and from Downingtown for the people and peace of mind at Tyler. He feels a connection to the Hort Crew and it has been a rewarding way to spend his time.
