In retirement, Marc Wertheimer has found much gratification in volunteering his time at Tyler Arboretum. Before beginning to volunteer with the Horticulture Department in 2018, he had no background in horticulture, other than as a home gardener. As he put it, he’s not here at Tyler because he’s a botanist. He wanted to be outdoors and wanted to work in the gardens, and that was that. The horticulture work affords him the “opportunity to be outdoors engrossed in hands-on work in the company of terrific [people]” while supporting Tyler’s mission.
Marc was no stranger to Tyler Arboretum when he started volunteering. He and his wife (his high school sweetheart who used to go watch him play keyboard in a rock’n’roll band!) had been coming here since the late 1970s when they moved to Swarthmore from Center City. In fact, two of Marc’s patients (he was an internist prior to his volunteering days), Patty and John Colburn who were Tyler board members at the time, even bought Marc and his wife a membership so they would keep coming.
Marc gets immense satisfaction out of volunteering and is now a seasoned horticulturist, though he claims he is still by no means an expert. The “Hort Crew,” as they call themselves, have a great time together. They are a “hoot.” All of the volunteers are fun and interesting people; they joke around and have a good time. The same goes for the staff. The staff are the “right mix” of being friendly and giving direction. It’s just an “easy, friendly culture” in the Horticulture Department.
And while he appreciates the relaxed atmosphere, he also acknowledges that safety is always stressed. He never feels pressure to do more than he is able; and over time, the staff has become more confident in him, allowing him greater freedom and responsibility. They even sometimes tolerate his suggestions!
Not only does Marc spend time volunteering with the “hort crew,” he also helps run the Trail Crew, keeping the red trail clean. He enjoys his work on the Trail Crew just as much, though it has a different feel to it. It’s more of a quiet, peaceful time walking the woods and traversing the terrain, either alone or with a friend. “It’s almost spiritual,” he explains. It feels good to help maintain a trail and make the trail-walking experience safer and more comfortable for visitors. In fact, his favorite part of Tyler is being out on the trails in the winter when there are no leaves and he can see the large vistas of ridges.
Volunteers at Tyler know how important they are in helping the organization run smoothly, and Marc always feels appreciated. There is always the feeling to come if you can, and staff are happy when the volunteers are here. It is just a really warm and supportive culture for volunteers to enjoy.
Ironically, Marc’s first experience with horticulture was when he was a student at Swarthmore College and he was assigned to weeding the beds along South Chester Road as a “penalty” for failing to attend a required activity. Who knew that all these years later, he would be spending so many hours weeding for fun and fulfillment!
The “bottom line,” he says, is that “[i]t feels good to get tired and dirty; accomplish good things with great people for a wonderful place.” He just likes doing the work and meeting the people. (He also enjoys the donuts and coffee at break time 
).
Volunteer Marc Wertheimer while on duty with the Horticulture Department.
