Hi Jill,
Because the Rosenbach has remarkable poets' first editions and manuscripts in its collection, I feel some poetic licence is appropriate when the time for our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner comes around. Last year I compared our volunteer guides to the light that illuminates Rosenbach collections for visitors to see. Although visitors can explore our exhibitions on their own, the Rosenbach brothers' home can only be seen on a tour with a trained guide, so it is our volunteers that allow the Rosenbach to shine. Of course I also talk about the achievements and milestones of the past year, but I find it helpful to structure what I have to say around something concrete, a central emblem. Choosing an image that symbolizes how we feel about our wonderful guides can touch them on a deeper level, and prove memorable. It's a nice way to crystallize how much we value our volunteers, and to express how they are essential to the Rosenbach's mission. Volunteers at an art center such as yours might be just the sort of people who would respond to something creative and poetic.
Best of luck!
------------------------------
Andrew White
Volunteer Coordinator
Rosenbach Museum & Library
Philadelphia PA
------------------------------