Vol. 36, No. 3
September 2006
VOLUNTEER NEWS
You are Invited to Our Open House
All volunteers are invited to join us on Saturday, October 21 for an Open House at the Arizona Braille and Talking Book Library. Between 1:00 - 4:00 PM we will have tours, displays and presentations. Bring family, friends or anyone who would like to know more about volunteering or how the library works.
We hope to see you!
Why Volunteer? -- A Volunteer's Perspective
Within an organization that involves volunteers, people have many different reasons for volunteering. Awhile ago I asked one of our machine repair groups if anyone would want to share their feelings about volunteering for this newsletter. One volunteer in the group offered several motivations, which he grouped as ‘physical’ and ‘spiritual’.
The physical reasons he described as, “I get DONUTS! …No seriously… well I do get donuts, I am volunteering for the Braille and Talking Book Library of Phoenix, but donuts are not all there is. I get to work with a bunch of great men and woman. I am able to bounce thoughts and ideas off of them. I am able to collect experiences that others have gone through that I will never experience. I like working with my hands and have the opportunity to do so. I get to see and hear the results of my efforts, when the recipients of these repaired tape players say how much it means to them to be able to get information from books on tape.”
His spiritual reasons stem from his belief in God and belief that God wants us to reach out and help others. When he decided to act on this belief he asked himself and God what kind of a place “someone like me only having the skills to fix things and repair” could volunteer. He was resourceful and looked on the internet. He made a call. A door opened. He walked through. That was in September, 2003.
By the way, Tuesday is the only day we have donuts.
Putting Out a Call
Do you
- like to take things apart and put them back together?
- enjoy reading out loud?
- want a new challenge?
- like to learn new things?
- want to help provide library services to individuals with visual disabilities?
Call Jeanie at 602-255-5578 or email jpawlow@lib.az.us to inquire about volunteering. Volunteers bring many different skills, help our program in many different ways. See if we are a match for you.
90 (+2) Years Young
Volunteering is good for your health. Just ask Anna Z. who has volunteered since 1992. Every Tuesday Anna gives three or four hours to inspecting and repairing talking book cassette tapes. Since we have 40-50 volunteers coming into the library each week, we reserve celebrating birthdays with a party for 90th birthdays. Somehow we missed Anna’s 90th so we caught up with her for her 92nd. We have to be careful with these 90 candle cakes not to set off the library smoke alarms.
Happy birthday Anna!
Volunteer of the Quarter
Recently, Barbara P. returned from an Elderhostel trip on the Colorado River where she was accompanied by her 10 year old granddaughter. The trip represents several things about Barbara. She is a youthful grandmother and considers precious the time she is able to spend with her four grandchildren who live in Colorado. She is adventuresome, independent, enjoys a challenge and likes to be on the go.
Barbara began volunteering for the AZ Braille and Talking Book Library in 2001, following the death of her husband. She and her husband had discovered the Talking Book Library 10 years earlier when her husband suffered a stroke, leaving him with vision only in the lower right quadrant of his visual field. He had been an avid reader. Barbara recalled that he visited the local public library every Saturday afternoon through most of their life together and he always came home with plenty to read. His inability to read books created a real void. Soon he began using the Talking Book Library and Barbara says it was a life saver. Her husband thoroughly enjoyed the service and it became a big part of his life. When he passed away, Barbara says she had to get out and do something. She said she thought the Talking Book Library would be one of the most positive places she could be.
Since beginning as a volunteer at the library, Barbara has done many different jobs. She regularly assists our registrar by mailing catalogs and other information to new patrons. She has also inspected books, cleaned and play tested talking book machines, duplicated cassettes, checked returned books for problems, reorganized books in the stacks, disassembled tapes, checked the shelves to look for lost books, made labels for book boxes. She likes variety and is willing to try any job where there is a need. Barbara is one of just a handful of volunteers who have assisted in all four sections of the library – Public Services, Machine Services, Technical Services and Special Services. She has definitely preferred some jobs to others but believes any job can be a ‘good’ job if it can be mixed with other things.
Besides volunteering for talking books, Barbara also volunteers through Therapy Dogs, Inc. She and her canine companion Kelly, a West Highland White Terrier, help weekly with a group of 6 - 10 elementary school students who have learning disabilities. The students have autism or other communication disorders so Barbara and Kelly frequently focus on language concepts. Sometimes Barbara dresses Kelly for his part, like having him wear butterfly wings for a unit on butterflies. In tax season, Barbara adds tax preparation through AARP to her volunteer commitments. Barbara’s other interests include needlepoint, gardening, cooking and traveling. She says, “If you really want to feel good about yourself, volunteer somewhere. There are a lot of opportunities out there, you just have to go out and do them.” She follows her own advice and everyone who is involved with talking books benefits. We thank Barbara for her upbeat attitude, energy and skills that she shares every week at the AZ Braille and Talking Book Library.
Welcome to New Volunteers
We welcome new volunteers who have joined us since the last newsletter.
Abigail Aballe – reader/director, Phoenix
Morie Alderman – machine repair, Tucson
Scott Allen – reader/director, Phoenix
Patty Ariza – duplicating,Phoenix
Theresa Gerbig – reader/director, Phoenix
Phillip Haggerty – self-monitor/magazines, Phoenix
Tamara McDaniel – reader/director, Phoenix
Lorie Miller – machine repair, Sun City
Nancy Okstein – duplicating, Phoenix
A Job Well Done, Twice -- Kudos to Karen
Many of our volunteers record full length books. It is extremely rare that a volunteer would record the same book twice! That is why this month we give special kudos to Karen Rolston, a volunteer home narrator since 2001.
Home readers record at their homes using small cassette players that can produce the library’s special format cassettes. They record individual patron requests – books that are not put through the studio or added to the library collection. The volunteer produces only one cassette copy of the book. They receive each project – print copy of the book, blank tapes, etc. in a large manila envelop through the mail. When done they mail everything back to the library. The recording and print copy are then given to the patron who made the request.
Karen received a project from the library, Hidden Horrors, a book about Japanese war crimes during WWII. She quickly got started and when finished had 13 sides of tape. She put all the tapes and the print copy in the large envelope provided by the library and mailed it at her local post office. Unfortunately an empty envelope arrived at the library. All efforts to trace it were fruitless. Karen offered to read the book again. Her goal was to provide this book to the person who requested it. Since the request was still unmet, she recorded the book a second time. Thanks Karen for going the extra mile.
Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch
Thanks go to Carrie and Dan Rynder, owners and managers of the Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, for providing a dream weekend for Lindsey Herold, the grand prize winner of our summer reading program. (See related story in front section of newsletter.)
Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, located in scenic wide open desert 45 miles southwest of Kingman, AZ, is a dream come true for the Rynder family. The ranch has 10 buildings, can accommodate 40 guests and is entirely handicapped accessible, including a lift into the swimming pool and a ramp to help guests mount and dismount horses. The impetus for this dream came from their daughter and from a book Carrie read as a child.
Carrie and Dan Rynder’s daughter Amy has been disabled since birth and confined to a wheelchair. Years ago while living in Wisconsin they had an opportunity to vacation at a Colorado dude ranch and their daughter absolutely loved it. As a child herself, Carrie had been a great fan of the Trixie Belden mystery series, particularly the book Mystery in Arizona, where the heroine stayed on a dude ranch in Arizona. Carrie thought when she grew up she wanted to own a dude ranch. (Presently library volunteers Tony Ackley and Doris Walker are recording Mystery in Arizona in our Phoenix studio so it will be available to all our readers.)
Even though they had no experience in anything related to ranching or inn keeping, the Rynders decided to pursue their dream. Carrie and Dan spent five years developing their plans and searching for land. They opened their ranch for business in December, 2000. Their two daughters, son, daughter-in-law and Carrie’s brother all are involved with them in the ranch operation. Guests enjoy riding, swimming, hiking, ranch activities, three dining room meals a day and cowboy songs in front of a huge stone fireplace. Also included in every ranch stay are the peace and quiet of the surrounding desert and the spectacular view of the nighttime sky.
For more information about Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch,
Call 866-444-4471 or visit the web site at www.stgr.com.
The e-mail address is vacation@stgr.com.