Kim Nelson is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village, 1031 Bridge Ave.

The month of April is Volunteer Appreciation Month.

The museum is a direct benefactor of volunteers. This past year we had over 1,500 volunteers help at the museum doing various tasks, including mentors and tour guides for our school tours and discover history days.

Volunteers help us with cataloging our items for archiving, cleaning the museum and village, as well as light maintenance. We also have volunteers who assist in our library in addition to helping with special programing. All our board members are volunteers along with our committee members, too.

The museum is so fortunate to have such a significant volunteer base. So many of the projects and initiatives we have would not be possible without them. You could really say without them, we would not be here. They are helping us carry out our mission of preserving the past for future generations. Because of their volunteering, we are more sustainable for the future. Thank you to everyone who volunteers for the museum.

To receive more information on how to volunteer, call the museum at 507-373-8003, email us at fchm8003@gmail.com or come visit the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Watch for my weekly Facebook live posts and listen for me on KATE and The Breeze radio shows Sunday morning for updates from the museum.