It’s 4:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. While most New Englanders are fast asleep and cozy in their beds, Lynn Levesque has just finished her hour and a half workout. By 5:30 a.m. she is seated at her desk at Rhode Island Hospital accompanied by “Chuck,” the friendly-looking face of wood she found at the WaterFire woodlot three years ago. On her lunch break, Lynn heads to the local yoga studio to improve her muscle tone, flexibility, and breathing techniques. And, if that’s not enough after work Lynn heads directly to the WaterFire woodlot to finish her day with a three-hour woodpile workout helping the team stack wood to dry in the lot, pre-load the boats, and re-fill the bays.
“I do it because WaterFire really needs the help. Plus, I love the fresh air and it’s a great way to end my day” Lynn replied when asked why she attends every Wednesday woodpile workout at WaterFire no matter how exhausted she is.
Lynn began her journey with WaterFire through another volunteer group one Saturday WaterFire about four years ago.
“After that one night, I was hooked!” Exclaimed Lynn. “Every Waterfire since has been so memorable to me. No matter how many times I have done a Waterfire, I still get nervous excitement about it. When the music starts playing and the crowd is so quiet before any fires are lit– it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Not only does Lynn enjoy woodpile workouts and feeding the fires from aboard a wood boat during the lightings, but she is also very willing to help out in any way that is asked of her — even if it entails throwing on a pair of waders and climbing into the Providence River to feed the fires by hand.
Along with dedicating a large sum of her spare time to WaterFire Providence, Lynn has also traveled to Sharon, PA with other WaterFire Providence staff and volunteers to help inspire the Sharon community by creating another successful WaterFire Lighting.
“I just came back from volunteering for the Sharon, PA Waterfire, which was a very special, special event for me. I traveled to Pennsylvania with the most amazing group of Waterfire volunteers. I had the best time ever!!! I also met the most amazing, warm, giving, and friendly people in Sharon. It was a very valuable learning experience for me, which I will never, ever forget.”
Lynn Levesque’s ambition, drive, and dedication to helping improve her community shine through her efforts brightly.
“I believe that volunteers are the most important resource community organizations have. The ability of people to work together for the betterment of their community and themselves is a valuable resource and I am very proud to be a Waterfire volunteer. The time and energy I spend volunteering is a very meaningful experience for me.”
You don’t have to commit yourself to every Wednesday night woodpile workout or every WaterFire Lighting to be a star volunteer like Lynn Levesque. All you need is the desire. The desire to give back to your community.
For more information on how you can begin your journey as a WaterFire Volunteer, please contact the WaterFire Volunteer Department at (401) 443-5533 or email us at [email protected].
About the author
I've worked at WaterFire Providence since 2003. For the first 9 years of my career, I worked in the Production Shop learning all of the details that go into the physical production of the event. In 2012 transitioned to the role of managing WaterFire's social media and web presence. I now head up WaterFire Providence's digital projects including, web, social, databases, and our physical IT infrastructure.
