Adult Service Corps with Juergen Zirnstein and Keith Hutchison – G26010303
Please call Prescilla Tafoya at (505) 685-1019 to register for this workshop.
We are excited that you are considering Adult Service Corps (ASC) for Jan Term 2026! ASC is an opportunity to help Ghost Ranch with both our labor and spirit. If this is your first time in the Corps, please know that you have a great week ahead of you; for the old-timers, this opportunity offers a time for more celebration and reunion!
ASC members volunteer a total of 22 hours of work to the Ranch in exchange for reduced tuition, room and board (and a t-shirt)! Scheduled tasks can be outdoors and involve physical labor. Please let us know if you have a physical condition that prevents you from doing some tasks; we want everyone to be safe throughout the week.
January 2026 tasks include:
1. Remove carpet from the dining hall and replace it with wood laminate flooring
2. If there’s time after that: Remove carpet from Cottonwood Meeting and refinish those floors
3. Then, refinish wood flooring and tables in the library
4. If there’s time, repaint the library
For those who cannot do flooring tasks, we can purchase an upholstery steam cleaner, and ASC members can steam clean the red chairs in Agape and the blue ones in Lower Pavilion.
You should bring work clothes, a hat or visor for the sun, closed-toe shoes for outdoor work or in the shop, sunscreen, and a water bottle. We look forward to seeing you this January!
Instructors
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Juergen ZirnsteinJuergen Zirnstein’s earliest experience in construction goes back to helping build his brother’s home in Brühl, Germany. The hands-on work with family left an indelible impression that encouraged Juergen to think of place, home, and identity as intertwined. That applies as well to his affection for Ghost Ranch.
He spent most of his career managing large projects for a German steel corporation’s North American locations. Later, he consulted for small, family-run businesses on resource and time management. After retirement, he served a 1-year term as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Botswana.
Active inquiry into spirituality and personal development has led Juergen to focus his life energies on service to people and organizations that help make the world a better place. As co-leader of the ASC, he aims to create a nurturing community where talents are recognized and developed, fostering a warm camaraderie that makes the ranch feel like home. -
Keith HutchisonKeith Hutchison is a craftsman, teacher, tinkerer and problem solver. He spent most of his career teaching tech-ed in southern Wisconsin, where he led high school seniors to design and build 22 family homes in the community. Alongside local contractors, students engaged in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, concrete, and HVAC work. Since retiring from full-time teaching, Keith has spent several years designing and building exhibits for the Madison Children’s Museum. In this role, he has pushed his own boundaries as an artist and designer, using wood, fabric, metal and natural substances to build environments that inspire creative and experiential play. Playing outdoors is Keith’s other pastime–he and his wife spend many months a year biking, hiking, skiing, kayaking and camping throughout the Great Lakes and the West.