Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Celebrates Its Volunteers!

The value of volunteering topped $1.5 million last year at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, with 2,008 volunteers donating 67,645 hours of time in 2013 valued at $1,525,407.15 in donated services. This is the sixth year library volunteer services have topped one million dollars!

The 24th Annual Volunteer Recognition Award Program was held Saturday, November 15, with over 125 people in attendance. Special guest speakers included Stephanie Moody, Chair of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Board of Trustees and Fulton County Commissioner Joan Garner, District 6, who is also former Library Board trustee.

Library volunteers serve as adult literacy tutors, English as a second language (ESL) teachers, homework help aides, math tutors, computer assistants, clerical assistants, children’s program aides, special event hosts and more – in any of the Library System’s 34 branches. Volunteers with Friends of the Library groups are active in 24 branches and served over 22,000 hours last year.

Some highlights of the volunteer year include:

• 146 volunteers donated over 100 hours in 2013, including 58 who donated over 200 hours. Three of these volunteers donated over 1,000 hours in 2013!

• Several volunteers reached milestones including 28 volunteers who celebrated their five-year service award, 16 volunteers who celebrated their ten-year service award and eight volunteers who celebrated their 15-year service award. Eleven volunteers received the Millennium Award for reaching a career total of 1,000 hours.

• Laura Thompson, volunteer at the Sandy Springs Branch since 2010, won the President’s Call to Service Award for reaching a career total of over 4,000 hours and with 1,350 of those hours being served in 2013, she was also in the top three volunteers with the highest hours for 2013. Additional winners included Ben Statham who served 1,379 hours with the Friends of the Alpharetta Library and Carol Harrison who served 1,174 hours with the Friends of the Roswell Library.

• Eleven young adults and nine teens won the President’s Volunteer Service Award, and 15 Friends of the Library groups won the President’s Volunteer Service Award for groups serving over 200 hours in one year.

Congratulations to all of those who reached milestones in volunteering in 2013, and a great big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers throughout the library system! We would not be able to do all of the things we do without your time and dedication. You are much appreciated!

Top 2 Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System volunteers Laura Thompson, Sandy Springs Library, and Ben Statham, Friends of the Alpharetta Library, celebrate the “Big Check” with (L to R) Interim Library Director Anne Haimes and Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, Stephanie Moody.

Odessa Washington-Williams (middle), Friends of the South Fulton Library, celebrating her 5 year anniversary with (L to R) Fulton County Commissioner Joan Garner, District 6, and Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, Stephanie Moody.