Any given day, there is a high probability of a Betty Corcoran sighting at Tyler Arboretum. A volunteer since Tyler re-opened after the pandemic, Betty has been a member long before that. When her children were young, they would visit — in fact, Betty was her daughter’s Girl Scout leader and their troop would come work on badges at Tyler. Now, she brings her grandchildren.
When Betty retired in 2021, she received an email asking for volunteer educators on school field trips to Tyler. Because she had been an English teacher, it made perfect sense to sign up. As a nature lover and former educator, Betty knew the field trips were the right fit.
But she didn’t stop with just volunteering on the field trips. Betty also volunteers as a trail steward on the Yellow Trail, as well as helping out at various Tyler events, such as the Plant Sale and seasonal Firesides.
What she loves about volunteering at Tyler are the people she meets and the flexibility. She says Tyler is so great about being able to pick and choose which days to volunteer, so that she can volunteer when it fits with her schedule. And since she is at Tyler so much anyway, she can do her volunteering as a trail steward when she is just there walking the trails. She will bring her clippers and gloves, walk around and tidy up the trails. As for the field trips, she always enjoys watching how amazed the students are by being in nature and seeing all Tyler has to offer. On one trip, they saw a turtle climb into the rhododendrons, start digging and lay its eggs! The kids just couldn’t believe it.
If Betty is not at Tyler, she is probably out and about exploring other local areas and trails. Or entertaining any of her eight grandchildren!
