Volunteer SPOTlight

Ever wonder about the folks behind the scenes who do the real work at BookGive? Meet Colby and Christine, two BookGive volunteers that make our organization tick.

Colby Leggett actually worked our very first volunteer shift back in July of 2020 and in addition to working shifts at the station and for events, serves on the BookGive Advisory Council. Christine Williams has been volunteering since Fall 2020 and recently became a station manager.

Get to know them both and why they dedicate so much of their free time to BookGive.

What motivated you to start volunteering with BookGive?

Colby: At the beginning of summer 2020, I found myself home more than ever before due to work travel halting. I was also planning for a career transition, which I knew would be leading to some upcoming free time. Quite frankly, the world felt like it was crumbling around us all (COVID, protests throughout the country and world in response to George Floyd’s–and so many others’–unjust death). I didn’t know what else to do but to try to stay busy and to do something, anything, that may help to bring a smile to someone else’s face. 

As a teenager, I went through a tough few months and I’ll never forget what my mom had me do: she made me volunteer at our local community food bank. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was by far the best thing I could have possibly done. You’ve just gotta keep moving and pushing along and after that (and now becoming a part of the BookGive volunteer family), it’s never been so clear to me how helping others is the absolute best medicine for the mind, heart and soul. I believe this to my core 100%.

Christine: Number one, BookGive is in my immediate neighborhood and BookBar is a great local business. It’s been a great community resource. It’s a way to give back in my own neighborhood. And second, during the start of Covid, I needed an activity to get me out of the house. Volunteerism was always a part of my life but had been missing from my adult life more recently. I was looking for something low-commitment but fun and it was a perfect fit.

What’s your favorite task to do during a BookGive shift?

Colby: It’s so fun sifting through books that you’ve never heard of before and slipping into that world for just one second while trying to figure out which shelf it should go on. Or maybe sharing a quick anecdote with a fellow volunteer on how much THEY loved that certain book.

Do you consider talking to the folks that drop off books – or even poke their heads in for a look into the station – a task? If so, getting to talk to folks and to thank them or to tell them that they can take pretty much any book they’d like at no cost is the ultimate joy.

Christine: There’s two main tasks: intake of donated books and fulfilling requests. I personally like the intake because I like to see what books come in. It’s kind of bittersweet but I’ve seen when you can tell when it’s someone who has passed away and sometimes you see someone’s books and you think they would have been a kindred spirit. I like seeing these books and wonder who will get them, I wonder where these books will go. Every box can be a box of treasures.

Sometimes there are books that we can’t use for some reason and I can bring some home to my kids. The other day, there was one that had Shrinky Dinks in it and I got to show those to my kids. I didn’t even know they made those anymore.

What’s your favorite book or genre?

Colby: This is so tough, but I guess I’d have to say A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I love historical fiction where I’m pulled in by a story, but at the same time get to learn something about a place and/or time that I generally didn’t know much about until after reading the book. 

Christine: My favorite genre is young adult dystopian fiction, like Hunger Games. I like YA because it has a very specific kind of writing. Like it’s very 80s, very black and white. For me books are often an escape, so I prefer fiction over non-fiction as a genre. 

What does the power of reading mean to you or your family?

Colby: Everything. Truly. I come from a long line of teachers, librarians, administrators in secondary education and coaches. In my mind, having the ability to read – and the access to books – is at the foundation of everything that we do. And if I have those privileges, so should everyone else. I also feel that reading creates a more clear path to an open mind, a broader view of “life” in general and a greater chance at increased empathy and understanding of others. 

Christine: Honestly, I feel a little sad when people tell me they’re not readers because it’s a whole world to escape into, a way to peek into other people’s minds. For me, it’s something to share with my kids. With my older kids, we’ll alternate reading pages or chapters. I prefer real books, not ebooks, especially for kids. Spending time in libraries is something I love to do with my kids. I just look around with them and go, “Everything in here is free!” I love libraries and librarians are my people.

What do you use as a bookmark?

Colby: Whatever I can grab before I fall asleep!

Christine: Most often, the hold slips from the public library. Right now, a scratch-and-sniff bookmark that is supposed to smell like cookies. Usually something kiddie like that.

What’s your favorite place to curl up with a book?

Colby: When I traveled all the time for work, the plane and hotel bed were my go-tos. Reading really helped ease and wind down my mind. Nowadays, it’s my bed or cozy couch.

Christine: I wish I had a really good reading nook. But I like reading in bed.

What was your favorite childhood book? 

Colby: The most memorable book for some reason was Sophie and Lou by Petra Mathers. My grandmother was a librarian at the time and would always have a whole pile of books to read to me whenever I visited her. I can still hear the crinkle of the clear book coating that protected the book as she turned each page. I distinctly recall always requesting that she bring that book home for us to read.

Christine: Some that come immediately to mind are The Phantom Tollbooth and My Side of the Mountain. Also, I really loved William Sleator books. Some of them are a little dystopian so no wonder I like Margaret Atwood.

Paperback, hardcover or e-reader? 

Colby: Paperback or hardcover, whatever I can get my hands on.

Christine: I think my preference is large print because I’m very near-sighted but they usually only come in hardcover, which is sometimes hard in bed. If I buy them, I usually get paperback. And then I usually try to pass them along, stick them in a little free library or donate them to BookGive.

Ready to join Colby and Christine and the rest of the wild and fun-loving volunteer team? Fill out an application here.

This blog contributed by BookGive volunteer, Maya Strausberg.