On April 8th, 2011 the Calgary Public Library held an annual Volunteer Recognition Event to celebrate the contributions of our wonderful Library Volunteers.  Below are a few clips of our event for your enjoyment.

Alisha Kurji speaking on behalf of our youth volunteers:

Mika, Maddie and Laurie Jarratt, volunteers in the Story Pals program:

Arlie Ring, John Dutton Volunteer of the Year Award Winner:

We hope you enjoyed our videos!

Top Row, From Left to Right: Ellen Humphries Deputy CEO of the Calgary Public Library, Deirdre Harris Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of the Calgary Public Library Board, Peter Li, Chithra Sekar, Sylvia Moore, Dhruhi Shah, Clara Wylie, Lidia Bomba-Sorbo, Arlie Ring, Clara Galvan and Gerry Meek CEO of the Calgary Public Library.

Bottom Row, From Left to Right: Chaitanya Gandhi, Alfredo Albornoz, Arturo Gutierrez, Phil Cresswell.

Congratulations to all the Library Volunteer Award Winners

Library Volunteer Award Winners

Career Coaching - Lidia Bomba-Sorbo

Computer Buddies – Chaitanya Gandhi

Computer Technology – Chithra Sekar

CyberSeniors Connect – Dhruhi Shah

ESL Conversation Club – Elizabeth Smith

ESL Teen Talk – Peter Li

Homebound Readers – Mary James

Homework Help – Anitra Halliday

Living Library – TD Sparks

Libraries in Residence – Clara Wylie

TD Read With Me – Nicole Kiefuik

Reading Advantage – Shelley Fisher

Reading Buddies – Krishnan Hariharan

Spanish Conversation Club – Alfredo Albornoz, Arturo Gutierrez & Clara Galvan

Family Award - Sylvia Moore and Phil Cresswell

Story Pals-Lori, Mika, Maddie Jarratt

John Dutton Volunteer of the Year Award Winner

Arlie Ring

We had over 550 staff, volunteers, family, and friends celebrate our volunteers on April 8^th, 2010 in the John Dutton Theatre at the Central Library.

Our volunteering dogs stole the hearts of our attendees with their story of volunteerism in the Story Pals program. Story Pals is a program offered in collaboration from the Calgary Public Library and the Pet Access League Society (PALS) which gives children struggling with reading a chance to practice reading out loud to a canine companion in the library.

April 10^th to 16^th is National Volunteer Week!

Volunteers: Passion, Action, Impact

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, the Calgary Public Library would like to thank the volunteers who donate their time to make Calgary a better place. Volunteers are one of the library’s largest assets and not only do they help make our programs successful, they contribute to the vibrancy of our communities and the city at large.

Every day our 1,800 volunteers help improve the lives of Calgarians through language, technology and literacy, and we are so grateful for their efforts.

A special thank you to those who attended the Volunteer Recognition Event on April 8^th at the Central Library.

Karen Kost is a warm, friendly, kind and patient individual who has been a valued and diligent volunteer at Calgary Public Library since 2006. She explains that ‘I have the time and I enjoy working with kids and giving back to the community. I also truly believe in the Library. I take out books all the time myself and I would likely be in debt if I had to buy all those books myself’.

Karen began volunteering for the TD Read With Me program in June 2007 (she has also volunteered for the Library’s Homebound Readers and Proctoring programs). In the TD Read With Me program, volunteers mentor children one-on-one to help develop their literacy skills and interest in reading. Karen built a strong relationship with her first little buddy, working with him over a two-year period. His parents were very appreciative of Karen’s work with their son: ‘Ms. Kost is an excellent role model. She is a good helper and excellent teacher. She is a very patient and calm lady’.

Karen and her current buddy, Gary, meet once a week at a Library branch to read together for an hour. Gary comments: ‘It’s been really fun working with Karen. We get to read so many books together and the books are really good. We’ve been reading some of the ‘Macdonald Hall’ series by Gordon Korman, as well as ‘Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer’ by John Grisham. Karen’s really nice and she lets me pick the books I want to read.’

Thank you, Karen, for all the wonderful work you have done on behalf of the Library over the past five years! As noted by everyone with whom you’ve worked, it is very much appreciated!

The Calgary Public Library is proud to celebrate International Volunteer Day on Dec 5th.

We thank all the volunteers around the world for their contribution of valuable time and skills!

If you are interested in volunteering with the Calgary Public Library feel free to explore the rest of our website including our FAQ's and Volunteer Program Descriptions.

Angie Cormier is an incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated ESL volunteer in Calgary. Her volunteer work for the ESL Conversation Club at Louise Riley and Nose Hill Libraries over the past 7 years has helped hundreds of Calgarians improve their English skills. Angie fosters a culture of caring in the ESL Conversation Club which makes her participants feel at ease and ready to communicate. Angie truly believes in the library and has an intrinsic desire to make a difference in the lives of the participants. She has befriended participants, going so far as to open her home to a couple from Iran when their apartment fire left them homeless. In turn, Angie and her husband ended up travelling to Iran where they visited that very same couple’s family. Angie says of volunteering: “I am passionate both about the library and the settlement and integration of immigrants, so it is really my pleasure and honour to volunteer.”

Thank you Angie for your dedication and caring.