This is a scene from last year’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon …
… an annual event held each May, when we bring our volunteers together to revisit the year’s highlights, share a meal, and endure having praise heaped on them for, well, the incredible heaps of work they do.
We weren’t able to recreate this scene today — despite hoping that a four-month delay would land us in a better place — but while gathering in close quarters isn’t in the cards right now, there’s one thing they’re not escaping: our appreciation for their service and dedication to the library and its patrons.
So, in lieu of applause in the library, we want to share a few words about them here with you, our readers (and the volunteers who read this too)…
They’re here when we open the doors, and when we close them after a long day. When the book drops runneth over with returns, and the book carts spill over with shelving to be done. When new books need jacket covers and plants need watering. When the phone rings, and when ‘take home’ craft kits need to be assembled. When old library cards need to be shredded, and newspapers need to be archived.
They’re here when patrons have stacks of books to check out, and hundreds of items need to be checked in. When there’s a board vacancy to fill, and a book sale to organize. When kids want to exchange summer reading hours for a prize, and when the ‘book nook’ needs to be restocked. And most of all, when the staff needs a good joke, or delicious home-baked cookies … or when a pandemic hits.
When our world went topsy turvy, they learned to Zoom and quarantine, give air hugs, and sew masks like Martha Stewart.
And it’s because of our volunteers that we were able to resume full hours so quickly after ‘going green.’ They’ve been there every step of the way, adapting to each new phase and guideline, providing a constant, steadying and reassuring influence in our return to daily operations. They’re the reason we are able to serve the public every day and the driving force that makes us the ‘nice library,’ ‘happy library,’ and ‘helpful library,’ according to the many patrons who missed their visits when we were closed. Turns out it wasn’t just the books they missed.
So, while we won’t all be together in the library to celebrate them and their endless energy, humor and good grace, we still want to shine the spotlight on them — despite the fact that they prefer to stay behind the scenes.
We can’t possibly tell you all the things they do, big and small, day in and day out, to make EPL the wonderful place that it is. We simply know it wouldn’t be that way without them, and that they’re always there when we need them.
So, if you see someone wearing a green ‘Volunteer’ badge on your next visit, feel free to thank them. Our volunteers deserve every word of appreciation, annual luncheon or not. Because they truly are amazing.
JUST A FEW OR OUR MANY AWESOME VOLUNTEERS!
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If you’d like to join our team of EPL volunteers, go here for information and an application.
