Staff Lead Highlight: Haily Hayslip, Education Specialist at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark

Jul 28, 2025

by Volunteer Services

Staff Lead Highlight: Haily Hayslip, Education Specialist at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark

Staff Lead Highlights are a great way for volunteers to get to know our staff and for our staff to share their work with volunteers. This month we are pleased to highlight Haily Hayslip!

Haily began her journey with Five Rivers MetroParks in January of this year, working as an Education Specialist at Wegerzyn Gardens where she focuses on children's programming and field trips. She had explored several career paths before landing at MetroParks, initially aspiring to be a veterinarian and working at an animal shelter. Next, she transitioned to teaching in various high schools where she helped students explore careers and master life skills.

Now, she is applying her expertise to education in a garden setting. Haily holds a couple of biology degrees, and during her master's program, she concentrated on using outdoor experiences to support teen mental health, discovering the personal benefits of spending more time outside. Having previously worked with high school students, she now enjoys engaging with a younger age group, as many public programs are geared toward children aged 2-6. Another great component of her job is field trips, which effectively provide large groups of children with the opportunity to spend a day outdoors in a beautiful garden, significantly enhancing their health, development, and happiness.

Volunteers help Haily create memorable experiences for these children during programs, field trips, and routine visits to the parks. Hailey recalled an instance when two volunteers rescued a field trip from a thunderstorm, enabling the kids to connect with seeds and plants despite the challenging conditions. She says volunteers have saved her countless hours of preparation by handling a variety of program support tasks allowing her to execute programs with meticulous details and enhancing the learning and enjoyment of the participants. "I couldn't have managed this busy season without the help of enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and optimistic people who make our programs possible," she shared. "Their contributions have made a tremendous difference!"

Haily emphasizes the importance of listening to and learning from volunteers, describing them as a wealth of knowledge on various topics. While she has plans outlined for programs, she wants to create room for individuals to contribute and allow volunteer passions to shine through. Haily does a wonderful job leading, supporting and working with volunteers. A volunteer recently shared, "Hailey provided all the materials for the children to create a cute craft and to plant seeds for a take home vegetable of their choice. She brought carpet squares for them to sit on for story time. Her preparation was excellent and made it easy for volunteers to engage with the children who were enthusiastic learners. Had a great time!"

In addition to her work with MetroParks, Haily volunteers periodically with Miami Valley Meals and the Foodbank. She is also participating in a Community Transformation Academy with Coop Dayton, where she is working on another passion project - creating a community meal prep space to facilitate access to hearty, home-cooked meals.

Thank you, Haily, for your outstanding service to MetroParks and our volunteers!

Want to support Haily? Consider joining our team of School Fieldtrip Volunteers! Click the green RSVP button to view upcoming trainings and to learn more.