Remember the Rehoboth Mall years of the Film Festival? Teri Dunbar does. She volunteered at the first opening night party at the Bottle and Cork, where John Waters entertained one and all. Teri lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and has volunteered in Theater Management and other areas since the very first Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival in 1998.

Theater Management is where a years’ worth of planning comes to fruition. This volunteer area has a high impact on a Festival-goer’s experience with the Film Society. And based on feedback from members, Teri is doing a fantastic job in a highly demanding environment. Teri says, “Being in theater management requires a team approach to working with many people and engaging in ongoing problem solving. We always encourage our theater volunteers to enjoy what they do, and to always be courteous and helpful to anyone in need. It has always been a pleasure to see many theater volunteers — who dedicate a portion of their festival time to volunteering — return year after year.”

Teri manages the fast-paced environment with solid leadership. She and her team respond to many challenging requests over the five day period of the festival each year. The suggestions received can sometimes be implemented immediately, sometimes not until the following year, and sometimes are not feasible at all for various reasons. Below is a glimpse at just a fraction of what Teri manages daily at the Festival:

• Lighting — Getting the lights turned up in the theaters at the end of films is challenging. Teri says, “We even thought of handing out mini flashlights to help resolve this issue.” This past year, volunteers got creative and opened the back theater doors to allow more light in, making it easier for film-goers to exit quickly.

• Lost items — Teri says, “Yes, we do get excited when we can connect a person with their lost article. We were able to recover a vintage scarf for a gentleman who had the item since he was in the Navy many years ago; and a purse for a woman who ‘had her whole life in it’ – the woman was speechless when the purse was handed to her and she could only cry in relief. That made the energy in finding it so worth the time.”

• Stories —Teri says her group of volunteers love hearing the stories that people share with them about the movies they see at the Festival. “People are often emotionally moved by the films and they frequently share their feelings with our team members”, says Teri. “This is always inspiring for us because we often cannot see the films during the festival and we share these mini-reviews with other festival-goers.”

Teri says that working in the theater aspect of the festival is exciting for her. She says, “It’s always very moving, personally fulfilling, and I feel as if I have contributed to the community interests of Rehoboth Beach.”

Teri’s volunteer job is not too far removed from her own profession which includes being a licensed state psychologist for Child Mental Health, and teaching counseling techniques to graduate students at Wilmington University. “I always tell students that working with, and helping people is not something that we ‘decide’ to do, but it is a way of life, it is who we are,” says Teri. “For the Theater Management folks, helping others have a delightful festival experience is a way of life for us,” she says.

In addition to volunteering at the Festival and other events, Teri just completed six years on the Board of Directors of the Film Society where she held an elected officer position.

In between festivals, Teri says she makes sure to build up her stamina for the coming year by hiking in the mountains in the Southwest so she can walk the theater hallway for five days (!), and kayaking local waters to improve her lifting skills for extra theater chairs (!).

But whatever it takes, Teri says “I’m ready for Festival 2010 — bring it on!”

Teri, you rock!

Many of you already know Ron Tate of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as his dedicated Film Society volunteer work extends to many areas that are highly visible to members. Ron has been a Film Society volunteer for more than 10 years, consistently spending between 5 and 20 hours per month volunteering to make the Film Society and annual Festival a huge success. Ron’s current project is converting the Society’s film library of VHS tapes to DVDs so members can enjoy the large movie collection in today’s predominant format. During the pre-festival period, volunteers will hear from Ron as he calls to arrange festival time-slots. During the festival, movie-goers will find Ron working with Terri Dunbar and Deb Appleby in Theater Management. You may also have encountered Ron working as a paid staff member during the pre-festival ticket sales at the Film Society office.

Ron says, “Working with the Film Society is my number one volunteer gig because it’s so much fun! Staff and other volunteers are almost always cheerful, making it a satisfying experience for me. A big payback for me is when I come up with an idea that the society uses successfully, like putting ballot boxes in the theaters during the festival to collect audience feedback.” (Thank you for that one Ron!) “I have also made suggestions about the volunteer database that have been implemented. It is always good to meet and get to know new volunteers, some of whom I’ve introduced to the society.”

When Ron is not volunteering, he enjoys painting in a variety of media; in a style he calls “Exaggerated Realism.” Ron is a founding member of the Delaware Shore Artists Group (DSAG) — local artists who study at Wilmington University under the direction of Linda Minkowski. Ron’s art has been in a number of local shows and is also showcased at www.rontateart.com .

And when he’s not painting (and the weather is good) you’ll find Ron working in the garden. “I enjoy having people come for a tour of what’s currently in bloom,” says Ron. Having put international travel on hold for a while, Ron and his partner Jay enjoy taking road trips including going to NYC to catch shows a few times a year. And, of course, going to the beach!

The board and staff of the Rehoboth Beach Film Society are extremely grateful for Ron’s dedication to not only volunteering, but to film itself. “My partner and I have attended every film festival since its inception,” says Ron.

So they next time you see Ron selling tickets, herding lines at the theater, in the Society office (or in his garden!), please give him a big smile, pat on the back and say “Thank you Ron!” Because as we all know, the show would not go on without Ron and many, many other dedicated volunteers.

THANK YOU RON!