Sylvan Lake Municipal Library went a long way in acknowledging its solid core of volunteers on Aug. 22, even going as far as letting them douse library staff in ice-cold water.
Six members of staff lined up for a soaking in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, raising close to $200 in the fight against ALS in the process.
It was part of a fun-filled night held by the library to show its appreciation for its many volunteers.
“Not all of our volunteers were there, but a good chunk of them were,” said library programmer Corrie Brown. “They got to come and do some mingling, and dunk us. (It was) lots of fun.”
Currently, the library has about 35 volunteers who help with various activities in the library, three who shelve books, and several others who help document library events and deliver books to institutions around town.
Brown noted these people are “very, very” important to the library’s operation. The volunteer appreciation night — which offered food, drinks and entertainment via means of the Ice Bucket Challenge — is the library’s main annual volunteer recognition event.
“We try to do little bits of volunteer appreciation throughout the year, but we do one night that’s specifically for volunteers,” said Brown — one of the six who undertook the challenge. “I think the volunteers had a lot of fun splashing us,” she added.
Money was raised for the challenge at the library throughout the day on Friday. About half of the final amount was raised during the day, with the remainder coming from staff and volunteers in the evening.
Brown noted that while the library currently has a sound number of volunteers, more are always needed — particularly for special events such as the annual Zombie Walk, which will return next month.
Those interested in volunteering are asked to contact the library at 403-887-2130.