Volunteer of the month

Isabel Meadowcroft

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for March 2023: Isabel Meadowcroft! Here’s a message from her:

“I fondly remember my favourite children’s books – mostly because my dad was an energetic reader who delighted in animating them and because of the enduring lessons I learned from these stories. As a child I learned to read later than my peers, but I believe it was this early connection to literacy that meant I picked it up quickly once I had help, becoming an avid reader. I now take pride in supporting minibiblioPLUS’ mission to develop early literacy skills through instilling in children a lifelong love of reading and learning. I enjoy using puppets, props, and imagination-based games to actively engage the children with the content of the book. I’m delighted when, after story-time, the children initiate play based on the characters and themes from the books. Now, without prompting, the four-year-olds make predictions about what might happen in the story and ask questions about the material during the read-aloud! Most of all, I love it when the children rush to the bookshelves after story-time to pick out their favourite books to read individually. Through volunteering with minibiblioPLUS I’ve witnessed how reading stories aloud to children encourages their problem-solving and creative skills as well as their empathy.”

Anna Savulescu

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for February 2023: Anna Savulescu! Here’s a message from her:

“Following the suggestions of my brother, who is also a volunteer with minibiblioPLUS, I joined this team, as a Video storyteller, four months ago. Even if I was somewhat reluctant at the beginning, for fear of disappointing young listeners who might browse my videos, it took only three videos to gradually acquire self-confidence and find the satisfaction of feeling useful while creating, animating and having fun. I feel even more valued knowing that the diversity of themes covered in my readings makes it possible to reach children with different curiosities and preferences. Triggering smiles and arousing the interest of toddlers in reading, brings me a lot of pleasure. Thanks to my contribution, I hope that I succeeded in helping minibiblioPLUS to carry out its activities of awareness and early literacy and that more and more children will take their first steps in reading.”

Bee Bergeron

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for January 2023: Beatrice Bergeron!

Here’s a message from her:

“As a child, my mother read me a story every bedtime until I learned how to read. She told me it was my favorite part of the day, in part because she framed it as a treat. I am convinced this made me a voracious reader, who sometimes had to be told off to stop reading when going down the stairs. I am grateful my mother made this effort for me. Especially since someone told her I might never learn how to read when I was 4. Only because I am autistic (which has nothing to do with being able to read, but maybe has a little to do with why I organize my library by color).

I decided to volunteer for minibiblioPLUS to pay forward what my mother gave me. I am also very happy I was assigned to a school for autistic children.

After reading Neil Gaiman’s article (Why our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming) where he discusses the benefits of reading and being read to, it really cemented my desire to volunteer at minibiblioPLUS.”

Daniel Martinez Anduaga

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for December 2022: Daniel Martinez Anduaga! Here’s a message from him:

“I love volunteering because I feel I can help others and therefore help the community. It takes a big heart to be a volunteer.”

Douglas Barnes

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for November 2022: Douglas Barnes! Here’s a message from him:

“It is my privilege to work as a volunteer at minibiblioPLUS. Working with a dedicated staff and a team of volunteers whose love of what they do is surpassed only by their ability to do what they love is very much  satisfying and rewarding.”

Cyra Pantaleon

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for October 2022: Cyra Pantaleon! Here’s a message from her:

“minibiblioPLUS and their philosophy of the importance of early literacy really speaks to me because as a child, my mom has always read books to me, which probably sparked my everlasting love for reading. I still remember the stories she read to me, how excited I was to hear them, and I want them to have the same pleasurable experiences as me. Every time I enter a classroom, they yell out my name with so much excitement that it makes my whole week, and it feels great knowing that they are excited to see me and to read with me. Whenever I get a new book bag, it’s as if I’m a child again, and I get excited to see the new books I get to read. minibiblioPLUS is such a great community, I always feel welcomed, and they even helped me land a job! Thank you for this amazing opportunity, it will always hold a special place in my heart!”

Stephanie Mansell

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for September 2022: Stephanie Mansell! Here’s a message from her:

“I count myself to be lucky because, as a child, my mother brought me to our local library every week. I loved the quiet of the library, being surrounded by books, and getting to take home a stack to read at home. The library gave me access to a seemingly endless collection of stories to get lost in. I know that not every child has the same opportunity and that many don’t get the chance to visit the library in their neighbourhood at all. I therefore love the fact that minibiblioPLUS brings the library to these children. I very much enjoy volunteering in the minibiblioPLUS library—all these years later and I still love books and reading and libraries. Every child should have access to books. I like knowing that the volunteer work I do in the library adds up and contributes to childhood literacy in my community.”

Joan Buttersworth

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for August 2022: Joan Buttersworth! Here’s a message from her:

“Finding a little time to volunteer gives a big reward. I feel so energized and happy as I write this because I have found a way to do something meaningful by making reading fun! ’s philosophy and approach to supporting early literacy is so tangible with each visit; I love being welcomed by children and to see their attention and imaginations. Each visit is a great opportunity to spark curiosity and to bring books alive. Being patient and building our relationship takes time and it is a real delight to hear the children’s voices calling out “Book time!” when I come in. Thank you to   for all the wonderful support and my sincere admiration and appreciation to all the daycare providers for taking such good care of our little ones.”

Madeley Conway

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for July 2022: Madeleyn Conway! Here’s a message from her:

“I fully support ‘ mission of instilling in children a life-long love of reading and learning from birth.  Reading has always played an important role in my life.   It helped me overcome childhood poverty and pursue a successful career.  It also has been a vehicle with which to share the world with those that are important to me, particularly my children.  Reading is a source of pleasure but also offers so many opportunities to grow. I am glad to be part of an organization like that helps children discover its importance.”

Cynthia Li

We are delighted to announce our volunteer of the month for June 2022: Cynthia Li! Here’s a message from her:

“In a story, we can generally notice an evolution in the behavior of the characters. For the past few months, during which I had the opportunity to volunteer for , I felt like one of those characters. Reading thrilling and intriguing stories to children turned out to be a really fulfilling experience for me, and I can even say that I’ve received way more than I’ve given. Being a volunteer for a dynamic organization that has a mission aligned with my own values allowed me to learn many things, laugh a lot during my first reading and, hopefully, share with a new generation the joy of reading that I’ve always had since my childhood. Thank you  for the opportunity you gave me!”