Honoring Our Volunteers: The 2025 and 2026 George Lawrence Award Recipients

Maine Huts & Trails is honored to announce the 2025 and 2026 recipients of the George Lawrence Award for Volunteer Service. George Lawrence was a great friend, advisor, and passionate supporter of our mission. As our earliest and most prolific volunteer, he set the standard for what it means to give back to this place and its community. In his honor, the George Lawrence Award for Volunteer Service was established to recognize the most valuable volunteer or volunteers of each year.

2025: Karen Wilcox and Jon LaRochelle

The 2025 award goes to Karen Wilcox and Jon LaRochelle. Karen and Jon have been steady fixtures at the huts since the early days. When the pandemic made us rely heavily on volunteers to keep our huts running, they stepped up, and they have continued their dedicated service ever since.

We are always thrilled to see their faces at winter training (which they could lead!) and again when they return to caretake at the huts each winter. They go above and beyond to accommodate our winter hut staff, and when a project needs a little extra attention to get fixed up, they take that extra step.

Karen sums up her approach to volunteering well: “Enjoy the volunteering experience, get outside and put your feet up at the end of the day. Each hut has its own gifts.”

Thank you, Karen and Jon, for your exemplary service!

2026: Falmouth High School Outing Club

For 2026, the George Lawrence Award goes to the Falmouth High School Outing Club, led by John Carter. The Outing Club has been a staple at the huts, visiting twice a year as a volunteer group. They are the first crew in for spring cleanup and the last group out, stacking firewood each fall. Their work plays a crucial role in preparing our huts for both the summer and winter seasons.

The dedication and hard work these students share warms our hearts. We are honored to be the place where an early sense of stewardship and care for the land can take root.

Thank you, John, for consistently bringing your motivated students to our huts twice every year! We are proud to present the Outing Club with the 2026 award, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2027!

Join Our Volunteer Community

Are you looking to give back to Maine Huts & Trails? We are always looking for volunteers to join our organization! We offer year-round opportunities, from trail clearing to winter hut caretaking.

Visit mainehuts.org/volunteer to see where you can help us make a difference!