501-918-3025
calsfoundation@cals.org
calsfoundation@cals.org
Three cheers for volunteers!
Our volunteers are invaluable members of the CALS team. Volunteers bring special talents and enthusiasm with them. Many of our volunteers are also members of Friends of CALS, and with their monetary donations for this annual membership they support programs across the library system.
During the pandemic, we all faced challenges. For libraries, we faced closures, scheduling adjustments and reworking entire processes. For our volunteers, their schedules changed, and there was the need to keep themselves safe while helping. This meant volunteer services halted when we shut down temporarily. As we adjusted to the new normal, we were able to offer virtual volunteer opportunities, such as social media outreach, projects that could be completed at home, or helping with curb-side meal pick up. Volunteers were welcomed back to the branch locations in mid-October in limited numbers to assist with various projects, including new opportunities at Roberts Library and the Galleries at Library Square. All volunteers working in library buildings followed the same COVID-19 protocol as staff. Their willingness to adjust where they volunteered helped the services of the library tremendously. 
Currently, volunteers are serving grab-and-go meals and sorting donated books for the Galleries & Bookstore at Library Square shelves and the Friends of CALS used book sales. Some have signed up to work the front lobby desk at Roberts Library. Count UP volunteers are paired with students virtually to help them navigate the facts and figures of the subject of math. We encourage others interested in volunteering with this program to sign up. Volunteers have a significant impact on special projects, such as the community gardens at Millie Brooks Library and Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library. We are placing volunteers around the system and we are hopeful that we’ll have more opportunities to join forces with some of our greatest partners soon.
Thank you so much to our volunteers! Your continued selfless devotion of time and skill makes what we do for the community that much easier.
If you’re interested in joining our amazing team of volunteers, contact Polly Deems, at 501-918-3085 or pdeems@cals.org. Volunteers at least 16 years old are welcome. And if you’d like to become a member of Friends of CALS, sign up here.
