Volunteerism remains high for Libraries staff

Niqui O'Neill (lead), Tisha Mentnech, and Beth Ashmore got together in February for Crafting for Charity—the “So much to do, so little time” edition. The trio made fleece blankets for the Wake County Project Linus chapter and knitted preemie hats for UNC Rex Healthcare. 

Also in February, Libraries staffers joined the English Conversation Club (ECC) Zoom gathering. Organized by the Office of International Services (OIS), the ECC offers students a chance to practice their English four times a week. Gwen Emery (lead), Shelly Black, Tessa Minchew, Margaret Peak, and Hannah Rainey had one-on-one conversations with students in Egypt, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China, Turkey, and Japan, to name a few. The Libraries has been participating in ECC meetings for some time now and it meant even more during the pandemic for them to continue. “It has been a joyful experience during a time of uncertainty and we are all in it together globally sharing stories. An incredibly amazing connection,” Beth Ashmore wrote in her report on Confluence.

In March, Beth Ashmore (lead), Dawn Fulton, Claire Leverett, and Alex Reher packed diapers for the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. This involves unwrapping storebought diapers and packing them into smaller packages for distribution across the Diaper Bank's service areas. They also delivered a generous donation of diapers from Jordan Booth.

Want to get involved too? For more about upcoming community service opportunities, contact Beth Ashmore.