Staff Lead Highlight:
Franz Kirchner, Lead Horticulture Technician
Staff Highlights are a great way for volunteers to get to know our staff and for staff to share their work with volunteers.
Franz Kirchner has been employed at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark for nearly five years. He started in a Seasonal position, then moved on to a Part-time position, followed by a Full-time role, and is now the Lead Horticulture Technician. Talk about growth! In his current position, Franz enjoys connecting visitors and volunteers with nature. He believes that gardens and nature are excellent places to unwind and recharge, and he is enthusiastic about creating and providing these spaces for others to enjoy.
Franz has volunteered at multiple organizations within the community such as Five Rivers MetroParks, the City of Kettering, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, OSU Extension Master Gardeners, Drake's Downtown Gym, and DRAFT Brewfest competitions. These diverse volunteering experiences have provided him with a unique perspective and insight, making him an excellent lead staff for volunteers. Franz acknowledges the significance of creating a positive volunteering environment by expressing gratitude and explaining the impact of the opportunity. He said, "Whether it's the first, one-time, or long-time volunteers, I want them to know that we appreciate their efforts and hope they enjoyed their time with us."
As the staff lead of the Wegerzyn Gardening Angels volunteer opportunity, Franz engages the support from dedicated volunteers in a variety of gardening tasks, including weeding, plantings, edging, dead-heading/cutbacks, mulching, and raking. Franz also leads community groups in single-day service. Franz recalls some memorable moments working with community groups. "Some of my favorite volunteer moments are with children or students who are doing something for the first time. One example from 2023 was a group of 20 Girl Scouts aged 6-8 or so planting trees and shrubs with me, on the ground, getting dirty, asking me about the plants, caring about what they were doing, and getting excited about it". Franz truly understands what it means to be a staff lead of volunteers, and appreciates the time and skills volunteers bring. "Thank you to all our volunteers in all of our parks!"
Join Franz and other Wegerzyn Gardens staff at one of the upcoming Wegerzyn Gardening Angels shifts! View Wegerzyn Gardening Angels volunteer opportunities here. Or join us for our next Volunteer Open House, where you can meet one-on-one, in person, with a Volunteer Coordinator and learn how you can support this opportunity! Click here to RSVP to an upcoming Open House.
Thank you, Franz, for being a true supporter of volunteers and volunteerism at MetroParks!
Volunteer Services is available if you have questions or need assistance with Get Connected.
Contact us at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or call #937-275-7275 and ask to speak with a Volunteer Coordinator.
Return to the Volunteer Blog here.
