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Upcoming
Orientations
February 3
12-1 pm
February 17
12-1 pm
Sign up now to join us!
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Survey Says!
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reflect on their volunteer experience and share feedback with us through our annual volunteer survey. We are very eager to bring your ideas into our plans for 2012.
Congratulations to Connie J., Adventures in Creative Writing field trip writing coach extraordinaire, on winning the drawing for a $25 gift card to R.J Grunts!
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Storytime Readers NeededCalling those with a knack for silly voices and love of children's literature! Open Books is seeking volunteers to help with storytime at our bookstore this winter on Saturdays and Sundays. If you would like to help, let Ava know! azeligson@open-books.org 312.475.1355 x119
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Meet Fellow Volunteers!
To all of you wonderful folks currently volunteering with Open Books, keep your eyes on your inbox for an invitation to our first volunteer meeting!
This will be a casual opportunity to get to know/reunite with fellow volunteers, discuss your experience, trade tips and ask any questions you may have, and enjoy some truly excellent company.
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Volunteers Verbatim
We love hearing about our volunteers' experiences with Open Books and we think you will too!
Former VWrite volunteer Cary had this to say about assisting her mentee prepare for a citywide speech contest:
"During our time in the VWrite program, she had asked me to help her with an essay on a topic that was very personal for her. We worked a lot on her essay and after the program had ended...
Finish the story here!
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Happy New Year, dear friends of Open Books!
Everyone loves holiday break -- taking time to relax, reflect on the past year, and eat things one cannot justify in the summer months -- but we have to be honest: Open Books is beyond thrilled to be back in the classroom! We are excited to get to know new students and the volunteers who will support them as we pick up where we left off with Open Books Buddies, kick off a new session of ReadThenWrite, and welcome hundreds of young writers to our literacy center for Adventures in Creative Writing field trips this month.
As you plan how you will make this year even better than the last, consider the impact of spending a few hours a week (or month!) volunteering with Open Books. Are you hoping to make more of a difference in your community, or maybe looking to broaden your network and meet some new, interesting people? Now is the time to start! We look forward to meeting you at an orientation soon so we can find the right niche for you.
Ava Zeligson
Volunteer Manager
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Volunteers Needed!
Do you have daytime availability during the week? Do you think 2nd graders have an unmatched sense of humor? Do you want to help developing readers sharpen their skills and gain confidence?
Open Books is seeking volunteers to join us in Open Books Buddies, our twice-weekly one-on-one reading program with 2nd-4th graders! We have many students at our Humboldt Park site, Cameron Elementary, who still need a Big Buddy to read with. Could it be you?
If you would like to make a difference in the life of a struggling reader and give yourself something amazing to look forward to every week, contact Ava to learn more and get started!
Contact Ava for more information!
azeligson@open-books.org / 312.475 1355 x119
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Reading Together
While reading together at Open Books usually means participating in Open Books Buddies and ReadThenWrite, we have a few other ways to dig into some communal reading! Every second Tuesday of the month, book lovers gather in the fireplace lounge at the Open Books store for Open Book Club. If you have yet to join us for one, we highly recommend it! Naturally, we are a group that loves to discuss books, and logic indicates that our wide network of literacy enthusiasts feel the same. To see what we'll be reading over the next several months, take a look at the list. We look forward to seeing you! More Than Milk, which runs a great storytime for 0 to 4-year-olds and their parents on second Tuesdays at 11am (yet another way to read together!), has put together an exciting read-a-thon for Open Books! On Thursday, January 26 from 10am-4pm, families are encouraged to cuddle up with a book or five and help support Open Books' work. You can learn more about this event here. Be it in a program, at a book club meeting, or at the upcoming read-a-thon, we look forward to reading with you! |
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Vol-Star: Ursula Gruber
From the moment we met Ursula Gruber at a volunteer orientation back in 2009 and she mentioned that she decoupages furniture using books, we knew she was a keeper. Ursula has been a tremendously dedicated volunteer in Open Books Buddies at Goethe Elementary in Logan Square for three years now -- a mighty impressive claim! Beyond this, Ursula brings her enthusiasm to our literacy center as a writing coach for Adventures in Creative Writing field trips, and has been doing so for over a year. Students, interns, and staff members are always excited to have the chance to work with Ursula, and we are so lucky that she gives us so many opportunities to do just that. Thank you, Ursula, for your devotion to improving the state of literacy in Chicago, and for being such an essential part of Open Books!
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Open Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. We enhance lives through reading, writing, and the VOLUNTARY power of used books. Learn more and sign up to join us at www.open-books.org! |
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