By Melissa Wagoner
This summer, thanks to a Youth Wage Grant from the Willamette Workforce Partnership, three teenaged interns joined the Silver Falls Library team, reshelving books, compiling packets for the Summer Reading Program and helping on the library floor.
“We really loved it and the kids really loved it,” Dena Chaffin, a Youth Services Librarian said.
While all three of the teens had previously worked as volunteers, working for a paycheck was a way for them to take on a much bigger role.
“It was awesome to watch them grow,” she said.
Which is precisely why the grant was created, according to Dean Craig, Willamette Workforce Partnership’s Business Services Director. “We recognize the financial struggle many small businesses face, while at the same time we know that youth must be able to work if they are going to build the skills every good employee
needs to be successful. The best way to learn how to do something is to do that thing, that includes working,” he said.
While the current program has come to an end – this year’s interns, Anna Smirnova, Kirstina Baldwin and Danielle Traber, have returned to their former volunteer positions while school is in session – the librarians are already excited about what next summer might bring.
In the meantime, all three of the interns have returned as volunteers. “They still come and they still love it,” Chaffin confirmed.
And there is always room for more. “Just come to the Youth Services desk and ask for a teen volunteer form,” Chaffin said.
Library Opens on Mondays
As requested by the community, the Silver Falls Library will be open Mondays from 2 to 6 p.m. now through the fourth Monday in May.
