Volunteer of the month

Jennifer Lapointe

 We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for July 2024- Jennifer Lapointe, a spectacular storytime animator since 2022. Jennifer is such a playful and vibrant volunteer reader. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“minibiblioPLUS has given so many children the gift of adventure, joy, knowledge, faraway places, understanding emotions, nature, animals, facts, fiction and imagination through storytime reading. It will instill in them the motivation to read to their children and hand it down generation after generation. What a gift!

I have also noticed that children that used to be shy and not interact with responses at storytime have now blossomed and feel so comfortable that they have a place to shine too and there are so many shining kids at once they can make a sunny warm day in the middle of winter.“

Guillaume Nyssens

 Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for June, Guillaume Nyssens. Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us as a storytime animator. Here is what Guillaume has to say about his experience:

“What if the purpose of life was to serve? With a change of environment, I wanted to get involved locally. It was with this in mind that I answered the call from minibiblioPLUS, to share the love of books with children. I’ve always loved to read, and the idea of sharing this passion with others immediately appealed to me. After training, I joined a wonderful team, dedicated to awakening toddlers to young readers.

At a time when screens are taking on an ever-increasing role, it’s essential to remember that books are still a wonderful way of sharing unique moments. Each session is a bubble of joy and discovery. The impact on children is hard to measure, but some create precious bonds, others take longer. For me, above all, it’s an opportunity to be there for them, to pass on values and dreams through stories. Seeing their eyes shine when they listen to a book is the greatest reward of all. Especially when you’re supported by a great team of people who are so supportive!”

Isabel Shaw

 We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for May 2024- Isabel Shaw who has been volunteering in our library. Here is what she has to say about her experience:

“Each time I process a new book, I put myself in a child’s shoes and try to imagine what parts of this story would capture my imagination. Would it be funny? Would a storytime animator be able to show off the pictures? Would a five-year-old recognize this character? Working from the library, I get to see all the books flowing in and out to reach kids in the community. Beyond the fun challenges of cataloguing new books, I am just happy to be involved. This unique library offers so much to children with storytime, both local and virtual, and the free lending programs to partners. One of my favorite parts is seeing the stories and characters I knew as a child going out and coming back with new creases on their pages.”

Announcing our newest volunteer of the month for April, Alexander Slack. Congratulations and thank you for volunteering with us as a storytime animator. Here is what Alex has to say about his experience:

“Volunteering with minibiblioPLUS has been incredibly enriching and fun! I think both the kids and I were a little nervous at the beginning, but now they greet me with bright smiles and excitement over the new books I bring to each storytime. Spreading the love of reading and supporting literacy is deeply important to me, so I am grateful that minibiblioPLUS facilitates this opportunity. Not only that, but the team goes above and beyond in support! It is a joy to be able to contribute a little bit of my time to make a difference, inspire children to engage with books, and make connections within my community.”

Ursula Voss

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for February 2024- Ursula Voss who has been volunteering with us since September 2023! The children absolutely adore her weekly storytime animations! Here is what she has to say about her volunteer experience:

“The best parts of reading to children are when I have their attention and I see their little faces looking up at the pictures, fully engaged in the story, and waiting to hear what happens next. When the story is over, they reach out wanting to hold the book, carefully turn the pages, and go over the pictures again. I cannot overstate the importance of books and literature in all our lives, and I am thrilled to be able to promote literacy, even in a small way. minibiblioPLUS is a very important institution and must be supported!”

Vanessa Charles

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for January 2024- Vanessa Charles! We are grateful for her weekly storytime animation videos which the children adore! Here is what she has to say about her volunteer experience:

“I am extremely happy to be a volunteer with MinibiblioPLUS! I have been recording storytime videos for months, and I can’t help but feel fulfilled with joy after each video, knowing a kid will be able to dive into a book’s story along with me. The best part is knowing that storytelling can have a wonderful impact on so many young children, and us volunteers are able to do that! I loved reading since I was really young, so I feel honoured to be able to share my love for books with them. Another aspect of volunteering that I loved is that it helped me learn more about children’s books. Most of them are so touching and explore various important concepts such as love, respect or even hygiene, that are important for children to know. I’m always glad to be able to share this knowledge through my videos!”

Kassia Neckles

👏🤩 Congratulations to our last volunteer of the month for 2023, Kassia, who has been a precious volunteer animating storytime as well as assisting in our library. Here’s what she has to say about her volunteer experience:

” Among a myriad of other admirable objectives, minibiblioPLUS is committed to encouraging the joy of reading for all ages. As an aspiring librarian who is in the process of completing her MLIS degree, such a mission aligns succinctly with my own. Volunteering as a storytime animator at Garderie Sesame has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life — there are not enough words to effectively encapsulate the sheer joy that I derived from reading to the children, and from witnessing how enthusiastically they engaged with the texts. This experience has not only deepened my dedication to promoting literacy but has also armed me with the skills needed to continue doing so.”

Grethel Matthews

👏🤩 Congratulations to our November volunteer of the month, Grethel, who has been an amazing storytime animator. Here’s what she had to say about her volunteer experience:

“I started volunteering with MinibiblioPLUS almost two years ago and I can confidently say it has been the most wonderful experiences of my life! Not only did I truly realize the importance of early literacy in our society and how much of a struggle it still is for many families to have the necessary resources to develop it in their children, I also realized how rewarding and fulfilling it is to try to do my part in making it better. Programs like these are SO necessary to make sure every child has access to develop their full potential from an early age. I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to combine my own passion for reading with my personal mission of doing what I can to make our community grow stronger. I have made lifelong friends not only in the daycares with the beautiful children that every day amaze me with their ability to retain and process information but also in the wonderful family that is the minibiblioPLUS staff. Volunteering with them has also helped me develop my own skills and grow more confident and I have seen that same impact in the children I work with. I am forever grateful I took the leap to try something new and can only encourage anyone that might be hesitating to join : Do it, it’s 1000% worth it!”