Category Archives: Volunteer Stars
HRCA Volunteers of the Month
July volunteers of the month for the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) program at Highlands Ranch Community Association are the Basketball Coaches that helped in May and June. This program has grown thanks to the selfless efforts of a number of dedicated individuals. Many have been with TR basketball for over four years. They represent a wide age-range including students, working professionals, and retirees. When asked what keeps them coming back, they cite love of the athletes and love of the game. This program would not be possible without their help. Many thanks to these volunteers who bring so much joy to the participants!
Exceptional Volunteer
The Philip S. Miller branch is blessed to have volunteer DJ on its volunteer crew. DJ began volunteering for Douglas County Libraries in June 2014. DJ is always happy to help with whatever is asked of her. She does myriad projects to support library and book store operations as well as library events. If you attend an event at the Philip S. Miller branch it’s likely DJ has had a hand in preparing some aspect of it, or she is there welcoming you to the event, like she did at our Summer Reading Kickoff Party on her 4th anniversary of volunteering with DCL. She is a delight to all who meet her and we would be lost without her devoted volunteerism.
11 Years of Service
Jay started volunteering at Douglas County Libraries (DCL) in 2007. He has physical limitations that make everyday life challenging. His mother or Neighbor Network have transported Jay to the Castle Rock branch one to two times a week for 11 years so he can give back to the community. Jay’s stamina and resolve to make volunteering a top priority is admirable. He has processed hundreds of thousands of books for DCL during his tenure, making many of them ready for the used bookstore to end up in patrons’ home libraries.
Jay and his mom recently moved to a new home; his smile and fervor for life will be greatly missed. Thank you Jay!
Thank you to all Volunteers!
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month and we celebrate those who dedicate their time to be stewards and leaders of our community through volunteerism. National Volunteer Appreciation Month also encompasses National Volunteer Week. This year, National Volunteer Week is celebrated April 15-21.
A special thank you to all the volunteers who make a positive difference in our communities by donating their time and talents.
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” –Author Unknown
Exceptional Volunteers at Parker Library
“Today was a busy day at the Parker Library! Our shelving staff was short-handed, and volume of books returned much higher than normal. Thanks to our volunteers Lindsay and Anson who worked so hard to shelve materials and keep us on track to finish our tasks. We could not manage without them! –Parker Library Supervisor
Escape Room at DCL
Volunteers are a key ingredient to the success of the Escape Room at DCL! The Castle Rock library will be hosting an Escape Room for the community called “Make Your Escape!” Gold lies at the altar of the Temple of the Serpent and Professor Triton went missing trying to find it. Participant teams will have timed entries to spend an hour trying to solve the mystery and if successful, claim their reward at the end.
Volunteers help the staff creators of this event by creating custom jungle decorations on a grand scale and by doing a trial of the Escape Room as a participant, working with other volunteers and staff members to find clues and solve the puzzles. They then provide valuable feedback so staff members can refine the experience for the real event on March 24th. On event day volunteers will transform a meeting room into a jungle and serve as costumed guides while library patrons test their powers of logic, deduction and observation in the Escape Room.
Volunteering with Douglas County Libraries provides myriad ways to get involved and have fun while supporting Douglas County Libraries’ mission to elevate the community by creating a love of reading, discovery and connection. Make your escape to the library and see what amazing discoveries await you! Click here to find volunteer opportunities at Douglas County Libraries.
HRCA Volunteers of the Month
December Volunteers of the Month are the Race Packet Pickup Volunteers! Many thanks to the volunteers who helped pass out race packets at the Back Country Half-Marathon for Highlands Ranch Community Association-Therapeutic Recreation. Two shifts of parents and supporters handed out race packets and shirts to all runners. Thank you for supporting the TR program!
The Grinch is a Success!
The Grinch Storybook holiday program is a huge success! A group of teen volunteers make it a special event for everyone. The Grinch did not steal Christmas from the Lone Tree Library! Thanks to all the volunteers that make a positive difference in their communities.
Spotlight on Christopher Scheck
Storytime comes alive when Christopher is in the room! Christopher brings his best each and every week when he volunteers at the Highlands Ranch library. He shows unlimited kindness toward all participants. He is a mentor to each new family that attends, singing the songs, doing the movements, and enjoying the stories with everyone. Christopher’s enthusiasm helps make Storytimes special and successful.
Sensory Storytime was created to better serve patrons on the autism spectrum or who are otherwise differently abled. Christopher helps make this Storytime possible. His enthusiasm for volunteering is contagious and delightful to witness for both patrons and staff.
Christopher became interested and involved in helping with Sensory Storytime as it was being created in 2011, and he was thrilled when he was asked to become an “official” library volunteer in January 2016.
Fellow volunteer Chris Brannock comments, “He was a wonderful helper from the beginning of the program and kept all the staff and volunteers on target with the storyboard items … He is so cheerful and kind to all the staff, participants and volunteers. I consider him a friend and enjoy seeing him each time we volunteer together.”
Christopher is also active in his community in other ways. He is involved with therapeutic recreation programs at Southridge Recreation Center and is currently on the Unified Basketball team. He is a participant and volunteer with the F.A.C.E.S. Disability Ministry at his church, and also ushers every Sunday. His hobbies include gardening, walking his dog Bingo, and doing arts and crafts.
Coding Class by Etash & Abhinav
When the library needed volunteer technology aides, Etash and Abhinav jumped right in. They both wanted to partner with the Parker branch library so they could teach computer coding to elementary school kids.
This past spring, Etash and Abhinav came together with their passion and skills to create coding classes for children. The two young men designed, organized, marketed and delivered the classes to students and their families. After they held the first class in a small conference room, they quickly realized that they would need to book a larger event hall to accommodate the size of the crowd.
“Our motive was to spark an interest in kids at an early age to develop skills in computer science as it is one of the biggest emerging fields in the coming years. Coding class aims to effectively teach problem-solving skills to younger students,” said Etash.
Abhinav points out that many children are unaware that every new technology in the world today needed a programmer to think of it and develop it. He says that it is important to impart to young students that “programming can be fun!”
Etash is a student at Douglas County High School, founder of its Coding Club, and the vice president of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Abhinav is a student at Cherry Creek High School actively involved with FBLA, as well as Robotics Club.
