The following article was submitted by Therese Horstketter, the Volunteer Coordinator at the Manitowoc Public Library.
Hello to the many, many good-hearted people of our community!
Manitowoc Public Library is happy to share that we will once again be hosting our Volunteer Fair in-person, on Thursday, September 16, from 11 AM to 2 PM.
Organizations that need volunteers: this is THE place to be! We set up tables in our huge Balkansky Room on MPL’s Second Floor—to the left at the top of the steps, with ample room for appropriate distancing—and welcome groups that need volunteers. These groups will be setting up displays on their tables and be ready to talk to prospective volunteers.
Anyone looking to volunteer: we welcome and encourage anyone and everyone who wishes to devote some of their time to volunteering to come in and look over the possibilities. You’ll be able to talk to actual staff or volunteers from every organization present. They’re specifically there to share their organization’s info with you.
There are plenty of great reasons to volunteer. Maybe you recently retired or changed work hours and now have more hours to donate. Perhaps you want to give back to a place that provided you with help or a hand-up when it was most needed. Or maybe you just want to try volunteering because you always thought you would enjoy it. Practically every reason is a good reason! This Fair is a great opportunity to join us and see the possibilities.
Some organizations need help daily, some not as frequently. Manitowoc Public Library has general volunteers that come in weekly—sometimes more often, if I ask. Some prefer to only work when we have bigger projects, like our huge Friends of Manitowoc Public Library Used Book Sales (public health permitting) or bigger events such as the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” Some volunteers have ducked-in to help us load tables and equipment into the building for a blood drive. They were here and gone in an hour. Some volunteers come in to dust once a week. Some water plants every week or two. Volunteers help put materials in order before our staff shelve them.
Therese Horstketter
During our Friends Book Sales, volunteers move boxes of materials, unpack them, set them up on tables, and when the sale is done, do all of this in reverse order to clean out the room. Things that seem like small projects, such as pencil sharpening or photocopying are still a huge help to staff.
Along with our general volunteers, Manitowoc Public Library has two other areas that depend greatly on volunteers. The first of these areas is our One-to-One Adult Literacy Partners program, which is almost always seeking tutors. These volunteers provide adult learners with an opportunity to improve their English-language skills. This may sound a bit daunting, but there are free training sessions and you don’t need to know any languages besides English. Nor do you have to be a teacher or former teacher. There have been some amazing results achieved with the tutor/learner pairings in this program, including helping more than one learner to pass their United States Citizenship Test.
The other major program at MPL for which volunteers are needed is called Homebound Services. Homebound Services delivers books to people that aren’t able to come into the Library themselves.
I can’t speak for the multitude of needs that other organizations may have, but they all have a definite need for volunteers! They’ll all be on-hand, hoping to find good-hearted people to help them out.
During the Volunteer Fair, you’ll be able to sign-up on the spot if you so choose. You’ll also be able to speak with an organization, take home their information, and find out where you might fit in best. With this option, you can contact them when you’re ready and able to start.
And don’t be shy about talking-up the Volunteer Fair. You may discover that your spouse or a friend would like to volunteer with you! Right now, there are a lot of options at a lot of places!
As MPL’s Volunteer Coordinator, I have had people that are volunteering with us also find another place or two to help out during this event. I’ve seen some nice friendships develop between volunteers, too. We have projects for individuals and projects for volunteers to work together. I try to make volunteering a fun experience for people, as well as providing them with a get-the-job-done experience. I hope that both aspects of their involvement are fulfilling!
Here is the list of organizations that you can learn about during the 2021 Volunteer Fair:
- Grow It Forward
- CASA of East Central Wisconsin
- Holy Family Memorial Hospital
- American Red Cross
- Pink Heels of Manitowoc County
- Hope House
- The Haven
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of WI Shoreline
- Girl Scouts
- Wisconsin Maritime Museum
- Felician Village
- Clipper City Co-op
- Manitowoc Public Library
- Two Rivers Senior Center/Parks and Recreation Dept.
- One Stop Shop—Maritime Metro Transit/ADRC of the Lakeshore
- Golden Kiwanis
Please consider volunteering! These organizations are filled with good-hearted people that need the help of others!
Also, tables are still available for organizations that need volunteers and would like to join us!
The 2021 Volunteer Fair takes place at Manitowoc Public Library on Thursday, September 16, from 11 AM-2 PM. Should you have any questions about this event, please contact Therese Horstketter at 920-686-3044 or thorstketter@manitowoc.org.
