One of the most rewarding parts of my position is working with our army of teen volunteers. Teen volunteers donated 979 hours of service to the library in 2014. Each one of these dedicated teens offers something unique and important to the daily running of the library whether they spend their time shelf-reading, assisting with programs, or working on specialized projects under the supervision of our staff. We greatly appreciate all of their hard work and I’d like to honor a handful of them who have gone above and beyond in the last year.

The following three students have exhibited the exemplary service and are being honored as outstanding teen volunteers:

Kevin W. poses with his award!

Kevin W. is a junior at UDHS and has been volunteering with us for about a year. Kevin frequently works on graphic design projects for us and this winter a design he created was chosen for the cover of UDPL’s strategic plan, UDPL Reimagined.

Daniel W.  is also a junior at UDHS and has been volunteering with us for three years. Daniel has been an active member of the Kids’ Chess Club where he works with elementary aged children to learn the fundamentals of chess. Daniel has agreed to take over leadership of the club next year after the current leader graduates.

Lauren P. is a senior at UDHS and has been volunteering with us for more than four years. For the past two years, Lauren has been my assistant in the very popular Reading Buddies program. She is adored by both the children and caregivers who participate in the program. Lauren will graduate in June and will be attending Lehigh University next year. She will be greatly missed!

When it came to picking a teen volunteer of the year, I had a very difficult time because there were so many deserving teens. Ultimately, I wasn’t able to pick just one. Instead, this year we will be honoring an entire family – Adelie, Candice, and Lucile I. These sisters have been coming to the library and attending library programs since they were very young. Miss Barbara recently showed me a thank you note they wrote her at the end of Summer Reading when they were still in elementary school. Over the past year, they have given 318 hours of service to the library. Two hundred of these hours were given by older sister, Adelie, who is currently a freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh. Twins, Candice and Lucile, are UDHS seniors and will be working with me to complete their senior Community Study program. Adelie spent her summer in the library assisting with programs and Candice and Lucile came out in the rain to help at UDPL’s booth during UD Community Day. These girls exemplify what it means to be a good citizen. They are constantly upbeat and ready to lend a hand.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with them and all of our teen volunteers!