How One Person Turned a Volunteer Opportunity Into the Best Job of His Life

For most of Chris Burke’s life, he never imagined he’d find the time to volunteer. A lifelong carpenter, Chris spent decades working long hours and living paycheck to paycheck, more concerned about affording rent than engaging in community service—that is, until he heard about a unique volunteer opportunity he couldn’t wait to join.

“You know, I didn't really have much money or time to volunteer, because who's got free time when you're working 65 hours a week?” Chris said.

Chris was in his early 60s when he first caught wind of the educational nonprofit Call of the Sea (formerly known as Educational Tall Ship). They were recruiting volunteers with carpentry skills to assist with a dream project: building a wooden ship that would reach 131 feet tall and weigh in at 175 tons, constructed entirely with donated, environmentally-friendly lumber.

“I'd been a carpenter for 50 years and even worked in boatyards before, but I didn’t have a clue of how to build a boat of that size,” Chris said. “In fact, out of the 400 volunteers we had, no one had built a boat of that size. But we did it.”

Chris was an eager volunteer, spending his late afternoons and weekends on location to pitch in and learn something new. Eventually, the team at Call of the Sea asked Chris if he’d like to be part of their team full time.

“I like to think I wore them down being there all the time, but over the next several years, my enthusiasm didn’t diminish,” Chris said.

As the Ship’s Carpenter and Operations Manager, Chris wore many hats. He continued working alongside volunteers to construct the tall ship, dubbed the Matthew Turner, but grew to be in charge of the office and tools closet as well. He also served as a docent for groups of visitors and school-age children who visited the project on educational trips.

“Working with other volunteers was unbelievable,” Chris said. “They became some of my best friends, and we’re still in touch today.”

After seven years, the team at Call of the Sea finished the Matthew Turner and launched her into the water. Then, Call of the Sea started hosting anywhere from 40–80 students a day for sailing expeditions and hands-on environmental workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“She’s everything we could have wished for,” Chris says about the tall ship. “She’s serving her purpose of teaching kids about the local ecosystem, about self-sufficiency, and about the bay.”

Chris is now retired, but he still considers the last decade of his career working for Call of the Sea as his favorite gig of all time. The fact that it all started as a volunteer opportunity just goes to show that pursuing your interests for a cause you care about can lead to incredible things.

“Getting the best job of my career at the end of my career is always something I'll remember,” Chris said. “I know that my retirement would not be nearly as fulfilling or enjoyable if I had not had this incredible experience and lifelong friends to take with me.”