Dawn and Jim’s Journey to Full‑Time Volunteering

By Jenna Decurzio

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In the same vein, it takes a village of deeply passionate and dedicated individuals to run Project Chimps. Two of those individuals are Dawn and Jim Greenway, a couple who made the leap from part-time to full-time volunteering in 2025.

Finding Project Chimps

A chance encounter on the highway led Dawn and Jim Greenway to Project Chimps. Former federal employees, the couple’s story began quite close to Project Chimps’ Morganton, Georgia location. At the time, it was still a developing gorilla sanctuary, and the two made a necessary move to Tennessee for work. By the time they encountered the transport vehicle on the highway, they were living roughly 90-minutes away from Project Chimps. However, to the two animal lovers, it felt like the perfect place to volunteer.

In fall 2023, they signed up for an Airbnb Experience. The trip encouraged Dawn and Jim to look up volunteer opportunities at Project Chimps. In October 2023, they signed up for the volunteer orientation.  The couple made a commitment to volunteering twice a month in four-hour shifts starting in November 2023. A 90-minute trip from their then-home in Tennessee to Project Chimps wasn’t enough to deter the Greenways, who both say that their time at Project Chimps has always been rewarding.

A leap of faith

The Greenway’s first year and a half volunteering was juggled with their full-time jobs. Weekends and federal holidays, twice a month, were spent at Project Chimps, often in the kitchen. Chimps on the sanctuary need their meals, too! If not in the kitchen, the Greenways were doing outreach at local festivals on the weekends.

With retirement came more time and the chance to jump to full-time volunteering. And jump, they did! In March 2025, the couple moved to their new house, the shift to full-time volunteering coming shortly after in April 2025.

Where can you find the Greenways?

Visitors to Project Chimps will likely find Jim Greenway giving tours and teaching the visiting students who are there on field trips. Jim has also been hard at work creating iNaturalist projects, including one for Project Chimps’ property. The iNaturalist app helps scientists catalog plants and animals in different locations. Dawn Greenway can be found working at enrichment. Chimps are given two enrichment items per day to keep them occupied, and with nearly 100 chimps at Project Chimps, that’s a lot of work! However, sometimes you’ll find Dawn working chimp care, something only available to those who have been volunteering for over 100 hours.

Both spoke highly about how rewarding full-time volunteering has been. Jim spoke of that wow moment for visitors and how rewarding it is to see the passion they have grow in others. One moment in particular stood out to Dawn. While working with a group visiting for a Chimpcation (a type of week-long volunteer vacation), there was a moment where they paused making enrichment to see the chimps being let out into the habitat. It was the first moment for the group to watch the chimps, and one by chance happened to go straight to the window. One visitor was moved to tears by the moment.

A new community

The Greenways have since settled into the local community. They say that the population is largely comprised of retirees who also love the outdoors and volunteering. Dawn reflected on how many of the community members spend their time volunteering at places such as the Appalachian Trail Society, the local animal shelter, or even Project Chimps. Jim, in fact, also volunteers at the nearby Vogel state park. As the community is largely comprised of retirees, the couple also added that everyone remembers what it’s like to be new to the area, and they’re all ready to help newcomers get settled in. However, they also encourage people to remember that it’s important to take that first step, too.

The couple also cites Volunteer Coordinator, Christy Jellets, as working hard to make sure that volunteers feel at home in their new community when they make the move. For volunteers, a large factor of them staying long-term full-time volunteering is making sure that they feel accepted and comfortable after uprooting themselves. Jim also encourages a balance for volunteers to make sure that they don’t become burnt out.

Those interested in also volunteering at Project Chimps can find more information here on the website.

Jenna Decurzio is a 2026 Communications Intern