Volunteers Color Our World with Kindness: A Citrus Libraries Volunteer Celebration

Every April, the Citrus County Library System proudly honors the dedication, generosity, and invaluable contributions of our volunteers. These compassionate individuals enrich both our library and community with their diverse talents and unwavering support. Their impact resonates throughout our system, from delivering books to homebound patrons and empowering literacy and citizenship to enhancing our library programs. Beyond these roles, their commitment extends to vital organizations like the Library Advisory Board and the Friends of the Library, whose invaluable support has enabled our libraries to flourish. The aid provided by our dedicated volunteers in the Book House and Book Sales has also been an immeasurable help to improving the libraries’ collection.

Beyond those vital roles, our volunteers are as diverse as Citrus County itself, ranging in age from high schoolers to retirees, all unified in their desire to support and enrich not only the library system but also their community. Over the last twelve months, the Citrus County Library System was aided by over 153 volunteers, 52 of whom were teenagers. In just a few short months of 2025 alone, these generous individuals contributed over 6,300 hours, 1,117 hours of which came from Friends of the Library members.

The Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Ceremony was conducted on April 26^th at the Central Ridge Community Center, with each Library branch presenting an Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award to individuals who serve at their location. Awards were presented by Library Director Adam Chang with introductions given by each Library branch’s Volunteer Coordinator. In addition, Branch Managers, Supervisors, and fellow volunteers were also gathered to honor and recognize the winners of this year’s ceremonies.

The Central Ridge Library recognized Lynda Whalley for her kindness, positivity, and many contributions to the branch and the Book House. From the Coastal Region Library, Janice Powers was honored for her hard work in sorting donations, distributing materials to other branches, and constant service with a smile. The Floral City Library was proud to recognize the efforts of Phyllis Ables, whose thirst for knowledge and dedication to genealogy has helped Floral City patrons uncover lost family history for the last three years. The Homosassa Library was pleased to present Doug Packard’s recognition for his three years of dedication, dependability, and support for both the library and its programs. Judy Mastrangelo from the Lakes Region Library was commended for her seven years of dedicated service to the library and for encouraging literacy in the community.

As a whole, the Citrus County Library System was honored to award Janet Borton with the Literacy Volunteer of the Year award for consistently going above and beyond in her efforts to not only teach literacy but also to build confidence and independence in her students. The Teen Volunteer of the Year award was given to Luke DeNote of the Lakes Region Branch. This diligent young man has offered his assistance to the Lakes Region Library for the past year, volunteering over 90 hours of his time toward helping with youth programming and more. Finally, the Volunteer of the Year award was awarded to Marjorie Corey, who has proudly served the Homosassa Library for the past five years and dedicated over 290 hours of her time this year alone to its programs and services. Congratulations to all the 2025 award winners, and thank you to all the Citrus County volunteers for their dedication, hard work, and generosity.