Volunteer of the month

Chantal Bissonnette

  We are delighted to announce our new volunteer of the month for December, Chantal! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us.

“Every time I go to a daycare, it’s a story in itself! Here’s one that recounts a joyful enthusiasm for books.

It was October, during the festive Halloween season. I had chosen a fantastical story! It mainly showcased the magical talents of a family of young wizards and witches. For the occasion, I had made a magic wand. As I read the story, I waved my wand to add excitement and bring the onomatopoeia to life: “Zip! Zap! Zop!” Sitting comfortably on the padded mats, the children smiled and listened attentively.

Once the reading was over, the teacher gave the children permission to play, run around, and stretch their legs. I stayed behind with the intention of connecting more with these little ones. While I was helping a little girl build a tower of blocks, a little boy with curly hair and glasses hanging on the tip of his nose came and sat down next to me. With a mischievous look, he grabbed my book and my magic wand. With the wand, he followed the words of each sentence. In his imagination, he was reading me a story. He would sometimes stop to point to a word and ask me, “What’s this word here?” … “And this one?” He was glowing with curiosity. For a moment, he turned into a magician. Eager to activate his little power, he started running toward his friends, and with a wave of his wand and a “Zip! Zap! Zop!”, he rekindled that spark of spontaneous joy in each of them! A precious moment, one of the most magical!”

Carling Cheng

  We are delighted to announce our new volunteer of the month for November, Carling! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us.

“I joined minibiblioplus because it gives me the opportunity to work with children and improve my storytelling skills while promoting early literacy. Initially, I was nervous and lacked the confidence when working with children as I’ve never worked with them before.

On my first day, the children were rambunctious and had a difficult time sitting down.  I persisted and I’m glad I did because now whenever it’s story time, they’d sit and listen, enraptured by the stories and colourful illustrations. My belief in the children has also led to further belief in myself that I am capable of far more than I believe.

Story time is one of the most fun and rewarding volunteering experiences I have ever done. I look forward to creating more wonderful memories with the children.”

Karla Soto

  We are delighted to announce our new volunteer of the month for September, Karla! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“Being a story time host at minibiblioPLUS has been a deeply rewarding experience. At first, I was a little shy in front of the young children. I wondered if they would enjoy my readings. However, as we met more and more, they gradually guided me and helped me discover a world filled with words, images, and magical colors. At each session, I was amazed by their curiosity, their ability to listen and understand, and their enjoyment of imitating sounds and making funny facial expressions. This experience allowed me to reconnect with my inner child! I am also very grateful for the welcome and support I received from the minibiblioPLUS team. Thanks to their work, a love of reading can be planted in children’s hearts.

Thank you so much, minibiblioPLUS, for this invaluable contribution! I look forward to continuing to be involved in this wonderful and generous initiative.”

Antora Saha 

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for August, Antora! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“I think children are like molecules in the air, small, bursting with energy, and brimming with ideas. That’s why the Minibilioplus literacy initiative has always fascinated me: it introduces young minds to the power of reading. Each reading session fills me with anticipation, I’m always eager to see how the children will engage with the story.

These experiences have shaped me into a more empathetic, introspective, and resilient person. I’m honoured to be part of a space where curiosity is nurtured, creativity is celebrated, and young children are given the chance to experience reading, perhaps for the very first time.”

Gaétan Talbot

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for July, Gaétan the delivery driver! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us. Here is what he has to say about his experience:

“I have been volunteering for two months and was surprised to see the large number of books distributed to many organizations. It is encouraging to see all the efforts made by the Minibiblioplus team to promote and develop an interest in reading among children from a very young age.
In addition, the distribution of books is well planned by a team that is always smiling, which greatly helps the work.
I am happy to contribute to such an important cause as literacy, which is so important in our society.
Thank you to Minibiblioplus.”

Andisheh Kazemi

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for June, Andi! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“When I first started volunteering, I was a bit nervous, mostly wondering, “How do I keep a group of toddlers from crawling away mid-story?” 😅 But each session taught me something new,  mostly from the kids themselves. One time, I asked “Who loves hugs?” during a story, and suddenly I was buried under a pile of tiny arms and giggles!

These sweet, chaotic moments have helped me stay more present, more positive, and honestly… reminded me how fun it is to just be in the moment. I’m so grateful to be part of minibiblioPLUS!”

Aziz Gueye

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for May, Aziz! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us. Here is what he has to say about his experience:

‘To have an organization like Minibiblioplus, which helps share the love of words and stories, as well as making literature and literacy accessible to children is truly wonderful! Seeing the little ones smile, marvel and look forward to every page turned is a reward beyond measure. Their imagination (always overflowing) and enthusiasm is a source of inspiration; they never stop reinventing stories, and never stop making us learn. They make the world. As Picasso said: “In every child there is an artist.”‘

Josephine Lessard

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for April, Josephine! Congratulations and thank you for volunteering in our library. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“This month marks my one-year anniversary of volunteering for MinibiblioPlus and it’s been such a pleasure coming every week to help out. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learnt plenty about working in a library and taking care of books, from organizing with the Dewey decimal classification system to preparing specific orders about gardening or beach vacations. All in all, I take pride in being an active member of my community and getting books to the little readers everywhere!”  

Abril Rivera

🥳👏 Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for March, Abril! Abril has gone above and beyond her weekly Storytime sessions, making time to participate in Special Events and always bringing a bright energy to her readings. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“Volunteering at Minibinlioplus means feeding off the imagination of young children. 

Not only am I learning how to bond with them, but I am also bringing out my inner child. Minibiblioplus’ initiatives are a great start for incentivizing children to read from a very young age and develop their language skills. I have also been surprised at the kind of patience and empathy I have for them, especially when I pay attention to their little thoughts and expressions as we go through our readings.

The kids look forward to seeing me because every reading session is a fresh new adventure!”