volunteer
Ranch Hosts assist with education programs and special projects at the NRHC. They help bring the NRHC to life by enhancing learning opportunities available to visitors who come from throughout the United States and many foreign countries.
Ranch Hosts may serve as building docents and as participants in living history and educational programs, special events and projects, or other volunteer capacities. Membership is open to persons who volunteer their services, complete required training programs and are certified by the NRHC staff to carry out specific functions.
Two regular membership meetings are held each year, one in the spring (mandatory for new Ranch Hosts) and one in the fall. Officers of the Ranch Hosts board also may arrange additional training classes, meetings and field trips. To become a member of our award-winning Ranch Host program, please fill out our application and check the box that indicates your interest in the Ranch Host program. A member of the Ranch Host board will contact you after your application is processed.
* Volunteers must be 18 or accompanied by an adult.
Apply to Volunteer
Fill out the form below or download and print an application:
Return the form to: Lea Ann Lust, Education and Outreach Programming Manager at lea.lust@ttu.edu
or mail to National Ranching Heritage Center | PO Box 43200, Lubbock, TX 79409-3200
volunteer spotlight
John Levacy | YEARS OF SERVICE: 35
John Levacy has been a passionate and enduring figure at the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) for over 35 years, driven by a deep love for Texas history and a personal family legacy rooted in the state. Since beginning as a volunteer in 1990, Levacy has played a vital role in numerous NRHC programs, from founding the Ranch Host Dance Team to educating schoolchildren and mentoring new volunteers. Alongside his late wife Vera and occasionally his daughters, Levacy has made his involvement a family affair, becoming a beloved storyteller and ambassador for the center through guided tours, cowboy poetry, music, and hands-on demonstrations of historical crafts. He’s witnessed significant changes at the NRHC and contributed to its growth, always emphasizing the human stories behind the historic buildings. With a global reach through visitor interactions and media appearances, Levacy continues to look forward, especially excited about the future of the Red Stegall Institute, while remaining a cornerstone of the NRHC community.
