If kids are fishing during summer camp at the Marine Discovery Center or if there’s a monthly lecture, chances are good MDC volunteer Ron McKay, Sr., is there, lending a hand.
McKay has volunteered at the center for five years in various capacities, including working as a docent in the exhibit area, assisting the education department and helping with shoreline restoration in the Shuck and Share oyster-recycling program.
He’s a regular during the free monthly lectures, bringing in extra chairs when the room fills to capacity. Or you may find him engaging with the public in local street festivals when MDC participates in community outreach events.
Why does he volunteer so much time, both at MDC, as well as at Lyonia Environmental Center in Deltona?
“If we don’t teach the children when they are young and make adults available with information about the environment, then we are missing out,” said McKay, an “ageless” U.S. Army veteran, who is affectionately called “Mr. Ron” by MDC campers. “If I just get one child to become a marine biologist, I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something.”
McKay has been an angler for many years and enjoys teaching youngsters in MDC’s fishing camps about safety. He also enjoys showing children how to catch and release when they successfully land a fish during camp.
“When we catch and release, then we’re providing enjoyment for the next generation,” said McKay, a California native who now lives in New Smyrna Beach and enjoys reading and line dancing in his free time.
McKay has also volunteered at the Marine Science Center. For more than five years, he assisted in taking birds and sea turtles into schools to talk to students about the conservation and rehabilitation of various species.
Volunteering at local environmental centers is a natural fit for McKay, who has a deep respect and concern for nature.
“We’re destroying so much in our environment,” he said. “When children can learn about different things, they can also learn to protect them.”
McKay no longer has to pack up and move when the military changes his address, but he’s still an early-riser – usually up by 5 a.m. On the other end of the day, he’s often at the Marine Discovery Center into the mid-evenings during monthly lecture nights — moving chairs, greeting guests and securing the center for the night.
“I like to be active and I gotta keep going,” said McKay, with a smile. ”And when I volunteer at MDC, it’s like being with a great family unit.”
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