Volunteer Extraordinaire

Maria Carroll’s 30-year service as a Navy nurse included tours of duty during Desert Storm and Desert Shield as Chief Nurse on board the USNS Mercy, a 1000-bed hospital ship. “As a Navy nurse, I served with some of the most motivated and dedicated people in the world. The Newport Art Museum staff and volunteers mirror those qualities,” says Maria. We can offer similar accolades about Maria’s volunteer service at the Museum.

The Museum’s Volunteer Coordinator, Suzanne Hauerstein, tells us, “Maria is a natural in many roles, from preparing and serving food at the Winter Lecture Series to being a greeter at the Summer Gala…Maria is always genuinely and happily ready to help.”
Maria describes the people she met during her early days at the Museum as “friendly, warm and welcoming…I was very impressed.” She often receives handwritten thank-you notes from Suzanne and says, “It’s so gracious… People are so nice and so giving.  Everyone likes to be appreciated and the Museum does that well.”

Maria has a message for others who might be considering volunteering. “Don’t hesitate to get involved – don’t hold back. You will receive much more than you give.”

In 2008, Maria Carroll received the Newport Art Museum’s Karen Ryan Annual Volunteer Award for outstanding service, and has been a Museum volunteer since 1996.

Learn about volunteering at the Newport Art Museum.