The following article was written by Therese Horstketter, aVolunteer Coordinator at the Manitowoc Public Library.
I am happy to share the news that Manitowoc Public Library will once again be hosting a Volunteer Fair this year from 11 AM-2 PM on Thursday, September 14!
It has been our privilege to offer this showcase for so many groups and organizations that greatly value the volunteers that they utilize in both their day-to-day needs, and also at specific, special events. We offer space for groups to join us in our 2nd floor Balkansky Community Rooms—we provide tables and chairs, and groups bring in what they would like to share with possible volunteers, as well as being present to discuss what their volunteer needs are, either constantly or occasionally.
We encourage and hope to see many people walk into our Balkansky Room to explore the possibilities for volunteering. You may be a little nervous or wonder if you have the right talents, or patience, or strength to help out at some places. You might find an opportunity you never even thought existed. Many volunteer positions take place in the background and you may not realize that so many places utilize as much help as they do.
As the Volunteer Coordinator for our General Volunteers for our Library, I work with a lot of students, as well as adults. A few have set projects that no others work on, such as taking care of our plants or looking for missing library materials. Several others help with sorting books that have been donated or are being removed from circulation at our Library. The majority of our general volunteers have assigned areas that they keep neat and clean by stopping in at least a couple of times during the month, while others choose to help with special events as needed.
The MPL initiative that consistently relies on our Volunteer Department that is always in need of more volunteers is our One-to-One Adult Literacy Partners. A volunteer is trained and then partnered with an adult learner wishing to enhance their skills in reading, writing, comprehending and speaking English. To be perfectly clear, there is no need to be a teacher or to know another language to participate in this program. Volunteers are trained specifically and provided with materials to work with their learner. Many good things have come from the partnerships created in this area, including helping several patrons working to get a new job or even their US Citizenship.
Our Volunteer Fair was conceived with the idea that it would be a one-stop, in-person visit offering many opportunities to explore in a single space. It was a personal thrill to see it come together for the first time.
Therese Horstketter
A few years ago, I noticed one man spending pretty much a full day in one of our meeting rooms, with a sign outside of it, looking for volunteers. He had a couple of people stop in, but it seemed a hard way to look for volunteers.
I went to our director at the time and told her that I felt we should host a day for any non-profit groups that needed volunteers to be able to be at the Library, where people could come in and talk to as many of these groups as they wanted. Being new in the Volunteer Coordinator position, I needed to find the groups that needed this support. The following year, we turned this idea into a reality.
I had some help getting the word out through a couple of agencies. We, of course, had a couple of years that we couldn’t have the fair, unfortunately, but we got back to it as soon as we could.
This year we’re adding something fun and special! We will be giving out prizes throughout the fair. You’ll need to be present to win and listen for your name to be called. We will provide entry slips at different locations during the Fair, all the way until the very end for the Grand Prize. Make sure you stick around and visit as many tables as you can.
As of the writing of this article, these are the groups that will be present at the Volunteer Fair for you to visit and explore!
- Felician Village
- Red Cross
- Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center
- Salvation Army
- Manitowoc County Historical Society
- Hope House
- Incourage
- Froedtert HFM
- Sharon S Richardson Hospice
- Capitol Civic Centre
- One Stop Shop
- Manitowoc Public Library
- Manitowoc County Foster Care Program
- United Way
- 1st Presbyterian Church: Community Vegetable Garden
- 1st Presbyterian Church: Community Dinner Program
- Manitowoc Warming Shelter
- Community Blood Center
- Wisconsin Maritime Museum
- Harmony Cares Hospice
More groups may be added before the Volunteer Fair.
We also have a nice list of volunteer opportunities in our area that will be available for you to check out on the spot or take with you.
We treasure our volunteers at the Library. I’m very sure that this is the case for all of these organizations and the many other groups that depend on volunteers helping them to achieve their plans.
Please stop in, see what is out there to support, and help amazingly!!
Remember!! Thursday, September 14, from 11 AM-2 PM
Manitowoc Public Library’s 2nd Floor Balkansky Community Room
It’s the place to be!!
