Adult Service Corps with Juergen Zirnstein & Keith Hutchinson – G26030502
ASC tuition ($420) includes participation in workshop, room and board
Please call Shannon Baker at (505) 685-1000 ext. 4175 to register for this workshop.
Adult Service Corps offers an opportunity to unplug and roll up your sleeves. We invite you to give of your time and talent and unwind with us in the beauty and community that is Ghost Ranch. Unleash the joy of working with your hands and be enriched by the satisfaction of tasks completed. Discover how “traveling with a purpose” enriches the experience. Meet new friends who share your desire to see the ranch thrive.
As a member of the Adult Service Corps, you will help the ranch improve and stay current with maintenance. Develop or hone your building skills with power tools, construction, and repair. Additional tasks on our list may include painting, gardening, and cleaning projects. In high season, we may be asked to support hospitality by greeting arriving guests, tidying the dining hall, or folding linens. Each morning, we will meet as a group, choose our tasks and work in teams. You can choose to do what you already do well – or opt to try something new.
Adult Service Corps members volunteer a total of 22 hours of work to the ranch in exchange for a reduced weekly rate of $420 that includes tuition, room and board (and a t-shirt). Tasks may be in or 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. Please bring work clothes, work gloves if you have them, a hat or visor for the sun, closed-toe shoes for working outdoors or in the shop, sunscreen, and a water bottle.
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.