Gratitude takes center stage at annual volunteer awards presentation

Gratitude goes a long way especially when it results from the collective efforts of more 450 volunteers who give of their time and energy for a combined purpose - the library. "With Gratitude" was the theme of this year's Arlington Heights Memorial Library Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.

Funded by the Friends of the Library, the annual gathering was held on Tuesday, May 9 to show appreciation to the dedicated volunteers who contribute to all areas of the library including Kids' World, the Senior Center, Genealogy, ESL, the Friends of the Library and the bookmobile.

In 2016, 479 volunteers contributed 29,264 hours of service to the library. Thirty six volunteers received special recognition for achieving Hours of Service milestones beginning at 500 hours and topping off at 15,500 hours of service. Years of service were also recognized and spanned from 3 years to 30 years of service. Carol Egan, a volunteer for the Friends of the Library since 1986, was honored threefold with the President's Lifetime Achievement Award, a 30 Years of Service honor and a 4,000 Hours of Service award.

The top honor of the day went to Jane Heaton who was named Volunteer of the Year. This is a one-time award that is given to the volunteer who has contributed the greatest number of hours during the previous year but has not previously received the award. Jane earned Volunteer of the Year for contributing 368 hours of service to the library in 2016 volunteering as an English tutor in the library's ESL office.

In the words of one of her students, "My teacher has helped me learn English throughout my journey to citizenship...I have come a long way from the beginning and these classes helped make my daily tasks easier in America....thank you so much."