Elaine Hildreth of Youngstown, center, is Old Fort Niagara's 2014 Volunteer of the Year. She is pictured here with Old Fort Niagara Association Vice President Bruce Newton, NY State Senator Rob Ortt, Old Fort Niagara Executive Director Robert Emerson, and Volunteer Coordinator Genevieve Montante.

Old Fort Niagara Names Elaine Hildreth

Volunteer of the Year

(March 17, 2015) Youngstown, N.Y. - Old Fort Niagara named Elaine Hildreth of Youngstown as the 2014 Volunteer of the Year at its March 7th Volunteer Recognition Breakfast. Mrs. Hildreth contributed nearly 200 hours to the Fort's 35,011 total volunteer hours in 2014. Her name has been added to a plaque that honors each Volunteer of the Year, which is displayed in the Fort's visitor center.

The Fort chooses annually a volunteer whose dedication and contributions go beyond the expected. Mrs. Hildreth, who has volunteered at the Fort since the mid 1990s, contributed in the following ways in 2014: tour guide; tour guide instructor; organized haversacks for guides; special events volunteer at French Day, Haunted Fortress and Castle by Candlelight; cleaned and prepared lanterns for Haunted Fortress; and first-person interpretation for special events as "Jean Lowry."

"Elaine's cheerful disposition and love of history are assets to Old Fort Niagara," said Robert Emerson, Executive Director of the Fort. "As a tour guide, she inspires curiosity with our visitors and makes the subject matter interesting, especially for student groups. We are very grateful for her volunteerism and it is an honor to recognize her as our volunteer of the year."

Mrs. Hildreth is a retired elementary school teacher and taught at Huth Road Elementary School on Grand Island for 34 years. She also volunteers for the Care-n-Share Food Pantry in Ransomville and the Friends of the Youngstown Free Library. She is a resident of Youngstown, N.Y.

Volunteers and re-enactors contributed 35,011 volunteer hours in 2014, which is the equivalent of 16 additional staff members working full time at the Fort. The Fort values their time at over $550,000. More than 80 other volunteers who attended the March 7th breakfast received certificates of recognition. New York State Senator Robert Ortt (62^nd District) attended the event and helped to present the awards.  

Old Fort Niagara (www.oldfortniagara.org) is located in Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, N.Y., which is 14 miles north of Niagara Falls via the Robert Moses Parkway North. The Fort opens at 9 a.m. daily and is open until 5 p.m. during the winter months. Admissions end at 4:30 p.m. Old Fort Niagara is a Registered National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association (a not-for-profit organization) in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Like us on Facebook.