Meet Diane Vaszily of Desert Awareness Committee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Vaszily.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Diane. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Science and environmental education have been my profession for 50 years! As a volunteer with the Desert Awareness Committee of Cave Creek, AZ in 1992, I found myself involved in the development of a new 26-acre park dedicated to preserving and understanding the desert environment.

After laying out the trails and writing the signage for the interpretive center, I developed a hands on desert-based program for the 4th-grade classroom with a follow up using our new park. A team to “teach” both the classroom and field program had to be trained from our membership of dedicated desert lovers.

For sixteen years, the Desert Awareness Education team (called “Reachers”) present the DESERT REACH program to approximately 750 fourth graders in seven schools Our program has been duplicated in two other school districts using community-based volunteers trained at our annual training program.

My goal is to train other volunteer teams from other school districts to carry out similar programs for their fourth-grade classes. In 2015, we were awarded a grant from APS to ensure the continuation of the field or outdoor portion of the Desert Reach program. We continue to recruit and train new volunteers annually.

In 2013, I became a volunteer docent at Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center where I lead tours of the sanctuary wildlife. As part of the education team, I work with visiting students of all ages and help train new docents.

Between the two volunteer positions, I have a full-time opportunity to continue sharing my passion for environmental education with all ages. Through these two organizations, I offer classes and workshops on the medicinal and edible plants of the desert.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The most challenging part of maintaining the school program on which many teachers depend is having enough volunteers trained to carry out the program. It takes total commitment and dedication to be at a school or in the field twice a week for three to four months. The greatest part is the true reward each volunteer feels after working with the excited young people. They love building excitement in the students by exhibiting their own enthusiasm.

My worry is that we won’t be able to continue to replace our volunteer base to ensure that the Desert Reach program will continue. It doesn’t take money to operate this program, it takes volunteers.

Please tell us about Desert Awareness Committee.
I personally am known for my workshops and classes on “medicinal and edible plants of the desert.” My workshops are shared with retirement homes, botanical gardens, nature centers, and of course at the home of the Desert Awareness Committee, the Foothills Community Foundation.

I have been a K-college science teacher, an environmental educator in the Florida Everglades and owned my own science and environmental education consulting company. My personal mission has always been to help others (of all ages) understand how things work and affect us (environments) and our role in keeping them alive and well. We are all connected… so we are all affected!

Sometimes the simplicity of this gets lost. My goal is to open their eyes and hearts to science and nature. The organizations I work with, Desert Awareness Committee and Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, do those things each in their own way. I am thrilled to be part of both of them!

What role has luck had in your life and business?
I’m not sure how luck has figured into my profession or my volunteerism. I’ve been fortunate to have others see the benefit of what I propose, and allow the idea to grow. It often takes a lot of hard work and perseverance on my part to make sure it carries through to the end result of a new, exciting program that reaches others in a memorable way!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.azfcf.org/about-desert-awareness
• Phone: 480-488-1090
• Email: info@deserteyeeducation.com
• Facebook: facebook/desertawareness

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