HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Volunteers don't often get the spotlight and according to Alexndra Hall, Development Director for the Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS), sometimes the most support comes from doing what you love. "As a volunteer organization, we encourage and support each other," said Hall, "but to be honest, the reward for us is when we hear that gasp of amazement for somebody seeing something through a telescope for the first time, or indeed the questions that we get on a Saturday night planetarium show, that's what really makes it worthwhile as a volunteer organization."
"I have been to many planetarium shows, especially when I was growing up," Michael Buford, former intern and now president of VBAS said. "I basically got a one-way ticket to a free education of astronomy. I've been involved for about 15 years now."
The Von Braun Astronomical Society is a non-profit organization of amateur and professional astronomers. VBAS was originally founded in 1954 as the Rocket City Astronomical Association, due to the efforts of a group of high school students interested in astronomy. They were led by Sam Pruitt, along with the help and influence of Wernher von Braun.
These volunteers are looking to modernize their facility, but they are having a tough time finding a solution.
"Finding money for STEM education is not trivial, but it's not hard," Hall said. "Finding the funds for somebody to help us to put in a semi-permanent toilet trailer... We're looking at $40-50,000 for something like that and it's really not very sexy.
"We have been canvasing the Huntsville community and saying, 'Hey, does anybody have any creative ideas?'"
Their ideas haves worked well in the past, with different fundraising opportunities but even with their "sexier" ideas, this task presents a challenge.
"We have homeschooled groups that come up to the planetarium and private groups that will book the observatory," Hall said. "We've even had a wedding up here, so we can be quite creative in trying to find revenues to help pay for things. Just the basic maintenance of facilities that are now approaching 70 years old can be pretty challenging."
VBAS has been in contact with the Mayor and Parks and Rec, who have tried and are still trying to help come up with a solution, but until then, they are going on with the show.
"Honestly, VBAS is currently, since I've been here, this is the best I've ever seen it," Buford said. "We are on track, I believe, to really become something incredible, something even more incredible than we already are, and I'm really excited about it."
For information on the planetarium and how you can help, check out their website.