by Gene Allen, Outreach Chair

It has been an amazing year. If it had not been so frantic at times, better records would have yielded better summary data. Some details may yet be recaptured from emails. It would have been nice to be able to report the total number of members who were involved, or the count of the number of times each of our volunteers stepped up, or the total number of guests served. We do have a general inability to count the number of visitors to the Observatory on a Friday night, because of all the comings and goings. Counting attendees is similarly difficult when one is involved with making a presentation or guiding them at the eyepiece.

It is safe to say this was a record year for Outreach at the AAAP. My email chains were dropped into folders corresponding to each event, so that list provides some accounting. Coordination was completed, and members volunteered to support some 35 events. They consist of remote events and groups that arranged to come to Simpson, either on a scheduled Public Night or a special opening. Not all took place, because of weather or cancellation by the customer. That does not discount the effort that went into scheduling and recruiting, or whatever effort it took on the part of those who committed to help. Hearty thanks to all of you who responded to my repeated appeals.

Here is my list of event email folders. If I take the time some rainy or snowy day to attempt to consolidate what records do exist, perhaps this reporting can be expanded. For now, this is what is available: