The majority of the adults working at the Belmont library don’t make a single penny there.
These adults put in their own time to give back to the community, and Carlmont’s Hand ‘n Hand with the Belmont library club aims to help out at the Belmont library through their volunteer work.
Founder of Hand ‘n Hand sophomore Katrina Talavera said, “I started this club this year with my friends Evelyn Lawrence and Elyse Geimer because we really enjoyed our experience volunteering, and the library staff always expressed to us that they were very appreciative of our service, so we decided to create the club, so more people at our school could experience the joy we felt from volunteering.”
When volunteering, students engage in a variety of activities that will help out at the library.
Sophomore Sydney Pon said, “The club coordinates different activities with the Belmont library. Every day has a different activity for the students to do. Some days you could help shelve books, some days you can interact with the kids.”
Students can also volunteer by tutoring kids at the library.
“A lot of the volunteers we have participate in a program we have called ‘Teen Leader Reader’, where volunteers tutor younger kids. It’s a great opportunity to enhance one’s leadership skills and give back to the community,” said Talavera.
Hand ‘n Hand with the Belmont library encourages students to volunteer as often as possible to gain the most out of the experience in the club.
Sophomore Ashley Wen said, “I think this club encourages students to get out of their comfort zone and volunteer. Especially give the systematic structure of the volunteering service, it makes the idea of going out and doing good much less intimidating then it is.”
This club also stresses the importance of having fun while volunteering.
Talavera said, “I think my favorite thing about this club is that you can volunteer with your friends. It feels good to know that we are impacting our community in a positive way, while having fun at the same time.”
