Volunteer Highlight: Mikayla

The volunteers at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta are truly special. In addition to offering helping hands and welcoming smiles to the Museum floor and our education spaces, they also help CMA pull off our favorite events like Treat-or-Treat at the Museum.  

Princesses and Dinosaurs learn about food at Trick-or-Treat at the Museum.

McEachern High School Junior and MVP volunteer Mikayla is a stellar example. In addition to participating in, as she puts it with a grin, “a multitude of extracurricular activities,” (she lists eight in rapid-fire succession including a few language clubs, book club, National Honors Society, Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program, and teaching dance), Mikayla volunteers at the Museum where she loves to spread the spooky spirit at our annual Trick-or-Treat at the Museum event. In fact, this year was her third time volunteering at CMA’s Halloween celebration.   

Mikayla pitches in by passing out candy or helping kids make Halloween crafts to take home and says seeing families enjoy the holiday together is her favorite part.  

“When families come in dressed in matching costumes, that’s the best part. It’s so cute! My favorite is a family who was Sesame Street. The kids were Elmo, Cookie Monster, and they had a baby Oscar the Grouch!” 

Run DMC visits the Children’s Museum of Atlanta for Halloween!

Besides seeing all the fun costumes (and eating leftover candy!), the 17-year old also enjoys supporting a fun and safe environment for kids to get into the Halloween spirit, “I like being here surrounded by kids because kids just like being kids. They just want to play!” Mikayla says she continues to fit volunteering at CMA into her busy schedule because it provides a place for all children to play.  

 

“I like it when kids of different backgrounds they’ll come in and all play. One example: an English-speaking family, a French speaking family, and a Spanish speaking family – they couldn’t understand each other but they were all playing together!” 

One of Mikayla’s favorite CMA memories is getting a high-five from a young museum regular. “When he comes into the Art Studio, we turn off the music, hold smaller classes and help him avoid messes,” this little one is sensory sensitive, she explains, and he really loves touching different materials and putting art projects together. Together with our Art Educators, Mikayla works to provide each child with what they need to have fun. High-fives let them know they’re doing a good job!  

Batman, Minnie and a lion explore the sandbox.

If you’re thinking about volunteering at CMA, Mikayla thinks you “totally should.” She’s notorious for getting her friends involved at the Museum. When she found out about CMA during research for a class project, she told her classmates (all of whom were about to turn 14) that soon they’d be able to help at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Ultimately four of her classmates signed-up with her and most of them still volunteer.  

What’s so great about volunteering at CMA? 

“You meet and work with great adults who are passionate about their jobs. You meet all different types of children who all just want to have fun but do it in different ways. Plus, the museum has special events – I get to wear costumes and I worked with puppies!” 

If you’d like to volunteer at next year’s Trick-or-Treat at the Museum or our other special events, visit our volunteer page for more information. “Talk to Lyle the Volunteer Coordinator,” says Mikayla, “he’s really nice!” 

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