Thank You, Village Volunteers!
During “typical” times, more than 500 volunteers help facilitate more than 15 community amenities and each December we honor them for their time and dedication during a special luncheon event. This year, though, is far from typical.
A team of 22 dedicated Village Library volunteers provide materials and resources to the community, enriching their lives and helping them to remain engaged, stimulated and inspired during the pandemic. This December, GRF and VMS staff provided a tasty drive-through lunch to thank them, along with five volunteers who assist in caring for the GRF horses while the riding program is on hold.
Regardless of our tumultuous times, the Recreation and Special Events Department wishes to sincerely thank all our volunteers and express how sorely they are missed. We couldn’t do what we do without you, and we look forward to working with you all again!
Volunteers normally devote their time to the following amenities, workshops and more:
- AARP
- Boards and committee members
- Clubhouse 4 workshops
- Disaster Preparedness Task Force
- Docent tours
- Equestrian Center
- Friendly Visitors
- Garden Centers
- History Center
- Lawn bowling
- PC/Mac computer learning centers
- Recreation class instructors
- Social Services’ Phone Buddy Program
- The Foundation of Laguna Woods
- Video lab and studio
- Village Library
- Village Television’s “Trading Post”
Library President Recognizes Team
Since March 19 of this year, 22 library volunteers have contributed almost 2,600 hours of time and checked out almost 8,250 items for almost 680 unique residents. Most volunteers dedicate three to four hours a week, but, said Village Library President Eileen Ordway, “I would like to recognize three people who go above and beyond.”
- Library Treasurer Marlene Barkley took ownership of the contents of the front-patio honor-system library, continually loading shelves with books and puzzles that don’t require checkout.
- Donna Dahl kept Village book clubs active using Zoom while keeping up with her weekly in-library shift.
- Maureen Lazar, who manages the book-buying committee, almost single handedly purchased and cataloged more than 350 new books since March.
“Many of the library’s volunteers are avid readers, and we know how we would feel if we did not have access to our books, especially when being asked to stay at home,” said Ms. Ordway. “So, we jumped into action to do everything we could think of to safely provide materials that would keep everyone’s brains as active as possible. We are so happy to have such appreciative support from the community.”
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