April is National Volunteer Month! What began as National Volunteer Week by a Presidential Proclamation in 1974 by Richard Nixon, grew to a month-long celebration in the early 1990s. It is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of volunteers and to encourage others to get involved in their communities.

When I was growing up, my friend and I volunteered on Sundays at our local museum. We both loved history, having watched A LOT of Little House on the Prairie after school and having read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books. We helped in the museum’s one room schoolhouse answering visitors’ questions and just holding down the fort. The museum also had an old-fashioned soda parlor where we made fancy ice cream treats for museum visitors. We had dreams of putting our ice cream experience on a resume for Dairy Queen, which was about the best job we could think of having at age 11. Although neither of us went on to work at DQ (sadly), it was a great introduction to helping others, handling money, and being responsible in a way that felt better than cleaning our rooms.

There are such a wide range of opportunities for kids and adults to volunteer in our community: working with animals at the shelter, reading to kids in our schools and building houses for those in need. Coming up is the Amazing Eau Claire Cleanup on Saturday April 20, when people of all ages can help with cleaning up trash in community parks, playgrounds, trails and the downtown. There are even volunteer vacations where you can travel and help in other parts of the United States or another country. Whether you are just starting out or have skills to share, all are welcome and appreciated.

Volunteering offers on-the-job training, learning or sharing a special interest or talent with others and the rewarding feeling of giving back to others and the community. When my dad retired from teaching, he volunteered with an organization in northern Wisconsin that helped assess the water quality of his beloved trout stream. This was not his area of expertise but a passion of his to help advocate for the protection and preservation of his favorite fishing hole and its watershed.

Here at the library, we are so thankful for our volunteers, a group affectionately named the Friends of the Library, who help with the Bookstore, Book Sales, Give a Kid a Book, Books for Babies, Adopt-a Shelf, Home Delivery Service and much more! For information about volunteering at the library or with other organizations in Eau Claire County visit our website or reach out to us at 715-831-5301 (Friends of the Library) or 715-839-5847 (Home Delivery Service).

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