Canal Corporation Announces “Canal Ambassadors”

Camillus Volunteers First to Enroll

SYRACUSE – Volunteers from Erie Canal Park in Camillus were designated New York State’s first “Canal Ambassadors,” the New York State Canal Corporation announced today.

The Canal Ambassador Program will enlist volunteers across New York State to help canal communities welcome tourists, maintain parks and waterfronts, give tours of historic facilities, and offer services at festivals and events.

Volunteers who sign up and qualify for the program receive a certificate designating them as a Canal Ambassador and a shirt to identify them as participants in the program.

Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of the Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation, said, “As New Yorkers, we are proud of our heritage, history, and tradition of hospitality. Nowhere is this pride more evident than in the spirit of volunteerism found in Camillus. Our first Ambassadors here set a standard to inspire even more volunteers statewide to become involved in their canalside communities.”

Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said, “The innovative Canal Ambassador program will help New Yorkers become more invested in and connected with the waterway which made New York the Empire State. We are grateful for the support and hard work of these volunteers”

David W. Beebe, D.D.S., founder and director of the Camillus Erie Canal Park, said, “I commend the Canal Corporation for developing this new program that recognizes the efforts of these volunteers who work tirelessly to keep the Erie Canal Park in tip-top shape.”

Established is 1972, Camillus Canal Park includes a replica of an Erie Canal store, a fully restored Erie Canal aqueduct over Nine Mile Creek, and other exhibits and attractions. Staffed by volunteers, the park offers visitors a variety of informational and entertaining opportunities ranging from more than 10 miles of scenic wooded paths and walkways, to boat rides along the historic Erie Canal.

Click here to register as a Canal Ambassador.

For more information about the Camillus Erie Canal Park, click here. 

Photo courtesy of   http://canalny.com.