by Carrie Dos Santos
MCPL Executive Director –
As most readers of this column know, the Middlesex County Public Library is a non-profit organization. As such, all monetary contributions are pumped into our services, buildings, and collections for the public. Our budget leaves little “wiggle room.” However, the library is thriving, thanks to all of our volunteers. The volunteers are the ones who provide the brawn, the brains, and the smiles to this great little library system, and who will keep it going into the future. We want to recognize our volunteers’ efforts publicly here, and show there are so many ways to contribute to an organization you love. We cannot list everyone by name, but know that each volunteer is appreciated more than they realize.
Volunteering at a public library can be backbreaking business. We want to thank the volunteers who have done the heavy lifting: pulled weeds, spread mulch, planted shrubs, pruned trees, and made use of their trucks for numerous trips to the dump. We thank the volunteers that schlepped boxes and boxes of books from one place to another, and who lent their handyman skills to make our buildings a little less cluttered. We thank the Key Club at Middlesex High School, the Middlesex Kiwanis Club, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Friends of the Deltaville Library, and the individual volunteers who worked up a sweat simply because they enjoy the Middlesex Library.
We also want to recognize those who have given their time and brainpower to the library. Thank you to our reliable weekly volunteers who work at the front desks (and behind the scenes) and are willing to learn new computer programs on an almost annual basis. Thank you to all our guest speakers and subject matter experts who have willingly shared their knowledge and talents in public programs without monetary compensation. And a huge thank you to the members of the library board of directors, past and present, who guide the Middlesex Library into the future.
Finally, we want to share our gratitude to those volunteers who give their smiles and joy when working with children here at the library. The Paws to Read program, the Kids’ Carnival, and so many other children’s programs would not exist without the dog owners, Kiwanians, and other volunteers that come to brighten a child’s day.
So, thank you to all who have given of their time, brawn, brains, and smiles to the Middlesex Library. Anyone interested in volunteering is welcome to fill out a volunteer application at either the Deltaville Branch or Urbanna Branch. You may be surprised at the variety of ways you can contribute.
