Volunteer opportunities: Reading Buddy Program, National Voter Registration Day, & technology evaluation
Posted on August 13, 2019 at 6:00 am
UPDATED: Dec 4, 2019
THE READING BUDDY PROGRAM
Are you looking for a rewarding and engaging way to serve your community and work with children?
If you answered yes, then the Reading Buddy Program may be the right fit for you. We are currently recruiting for this highly successful program, looking for adult volunteers to spend one day per week for about 45 minutes fostering a love of reading with an elementary school student.
Reading Buddy volunteers serve as mentors to their “little buddies.” We never ask that you teach a child to read. As a mentor, your focus is just to foster a love of reading and form a positive relationship around books with your student. It may be the only one-on-one time the student gets each week in a school setting.
Snacks, books, activities, and games are provided by the Library District for the Reading Buddy Program. Upon arrival at the school, Reading Buddy volunteers give their students snacks, read with them for about 20 minutes, and then play a literacy-based game or activity for the remainder of the session. The time flies by because it’s so much fun!
The Reading Buddy Program currently serves 10 schools in Spokane County. Schools are chosen based on a number of factors, including the rates of children receiving free and reduced lunch and the number of students meeting language arts standards. The elementary schools we work with are always appreciative of the volunteers and the fact that they are giving their time to students who truly benefit from the activities and one-on-one time.
New Reading Buddy volunteers are asked to commit to an 8-week session and are encouraged to stay a whole school year to continue working with the same student, whenever possible. Consistency has been a key factor to the success of this program.
So we encourage you to volunteer as a Reading Buddy. It’s a rewarding and engaging program that will have you looking forward to reading and spending time each week with your student.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering as a Reading Buddy is encouraged to attend one of two scheduled Orientation Sessions.
Reading Buddy Orientation Session
ARGONNE LIBRARY
Friday, January 7, 5pm
You can find more information, including all of the requirements and how to apply to be a Reading Buddy on our Volunteer webpage.
NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
National Voter Registration Day is September 24, 2019. We will have voter registration tables with volunteers to help their fellow citizens at three of our libraries:
- Medical Lake Library
- North Spokane Library
- Spokane Valley Library
You could be a volunteer to help others register to vote.
The League of Women Voters of the Spokane Area are providing training for our volunteers, so you can feel confident in providing help to others.
Training Dates
This volunteer opportunity has passed, so there are no longer training dates.
To learn more about our volunteer requirements, please visit our Volunteer webpage.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, contact Dana Mannino, Education and Enrichment Librarian, at dmannino@scld.org or 509.893.8419.
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION: NEW LIBRARY APP
We’re looking for technology enthusiasts!
If that’s you, then we invite you to try out our new library app and share your input during a short evaluation session.
To participate, contact Carlie Hoffman, Public Services Manager for Digital Interaction and Sharing, at choffman@scld.org or 509.893.8415.
We look forward to hearing your insights.
Tags: adults, kids, reading, reading buddy, survey, technology, training, volunteer, voter registration
