If you have stopped into any of our libraries over the past few days or have been visiting our blog, Facebook, or Twitter accounts, you know that we have been celebrating National Library Week. However, we are also celebrating another important event, National Volunteer Appreciation Week. It is during this special week that we get the opportunity to formally recognize the efforts provided by our volunteers in serving the library, its patrons and staff, and the Socastee community.
I'm sure you have heard that libraries have the power to transform. But, did you ever stop to think how volunteerism can transform the individual? Community service can be a beneficial and enriching experience in which one is able to pursue personal growth. Harriet Naylor once said that "...volunteering can be an exciting, growing, enjoyable experience. It is truly gratifying to serve a cause, practice one's ideals, work with people, solve problems, see benefits, and know one had a hand in them." Our many volunteers come from all walks of life; men and women, teenagers and adults, from lands abroad and native folks. Yet they are drawn to Socastee Library for one reason-to serve! From April 2010 to the present, our volunteers performed almost 5,000 hours of service carrying out such tasks as shelving, collating handouts, registering children for the Summer Reading Program, advocating on the library's behalf, shelf-reading, mending books, weeding the library gardens, and assisting in the Friends Gift Shop.
We extend genuine and heartfelt gratitude for all of our volunteers' efforts and dedication in helping create a true community library. Volunteers are truly an invaluable resource!
As we draw to the close of National Library Week and National Volunteer Appreciation Week, please keep in mind that "today's libraries can help you discover a new and exciting world," filled with great opportunities for the mind, body, and soul. To get you jump started, be sure to check out The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life and The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life, both by Pam Grout. These handy guidebooks provide succinct descriptions about exciting "volunteer vacations" as well as resources for additional information.
"We've GOT to make noise in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!" ~Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who
-Kim
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