501-918-3025
calsfoundation@cals.org
calsfoundation@cals.org
CALS Volunteers Help Turn the Page!
April 21-27 is Volunteer Appreciation Week and CALS wants to express a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful volunteers. Close to 800 volunteers donate their time to the library regularly throughout the year. We currently have 1,296 volunteers on file at CALS. This past year, we had 668 volunteers donate 12,697.25 hours, for a cost savings of $403,772.55 to the library system. Volunteers allow the library to provide much-needed community services while keeping the overhead lower. They also fill in unique gaps and help with seasonal assistance that isn’t necessary year-round.
Volunteers aged 14 and older are welcome to work at library branches. These volunteers assist with stocking shelves, cleaning, boxing pulled books, preparing grab-and-go kits for programs, and other support as needed.
Volunteers who are at least 16 years of age provide support for our branches, programs, events, and outreach. These include:
- Count UP Math Tutoring, a virtual and in-person opportunity which provides math instruction to K-12 students.
Be Mighty volunteers assist distributing meals curbside, prepare recipe kits for cooking programs, distribute items to Little Free Pantries, and prepare and hand out meal boxes. - Friends of CALS Used Book Sale volunteers sort and shelve donated books in preparation for the sale in the basement of the Main Library building and these volunteers and others work during the sales held three times a year.
- Six Bridges Book Festival volunteers serve as moderators, sit on the talent search committee, and assist in preparation for and during the event.
- Volunteers help with concessions at Ron Robinson Theater.
- At the Roberts Library, volunteers assist staff in the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Volunteers also help during 2nd Friday Art Night (2FAN) which currently takes place at the Rock It! Lab in the Cox Building.
- The garden at Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library utilizes volunteers to toil away at all things gardening onsite including providing seedlings to others. And there is now a raised garden at Millie Brooks Library and McMath Library.
- Volunteers provide support for various library outreach which has included the SOMA Mardi Gras Parade, Prom Dress Drive, and Day of the Dead.
- During the summer, we get support for the Be Mighty summer feeding program and Summer @ CALS activities. (Reach out now if you would like to help with these).
Please contact Polly at pdeems@cals.org or 501-918-3085 to learn more about becoming a volunteer with CALS and making an impact in your community.
