Saint Paul Public Library Volunteer of the Year

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Puppeteer named Saint Paul Public Library Volunteer of the Year

Patti Shomion, volunteer of the year 2009 The Saint Paul Public Library named Patti Shomion as its 2009 Volunteer of the Year during the library’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation event Monday, April 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, downtown St. Paul, Minn.

Shomion volunteers more than 40 hours per month totaling hundreds of hours in the last year to help prepare puppets and props, rehearse, and perform in many puppet shows to include Saturday LIVE performances.

“Patti is a person who has volunteered all her life,” said Barbara Sippel, Central Library Youth Services Supervisor. “Lucky for us, her life of volunteering brought her to the Children’s Room at the Central Library.”

In 2005, after 20 years of teaching pre-school, kindergarten, first and second grades, Shomion retired. The following year she and her husband, Jack, moved from Victoria, Minn. to downtown St. Paul, Minn. so they can walk to most downtown attractions, including Central Library.

During the weeks that a puppet show is not in preparation, Shomion consistently helps library staff with preparing for other events in the Children’s Room. The Saint Paul Public Library is not the only place Shomion spends her time, she currently volunteers weekly at Riverview Elementary school in St. Paul reading to a fourth-grade class.

Shominon is among more than 690 adult volunteers who participated in the Saint Paul Public Library’s volunteer activities in 2008 and together provided 23,407 hours of support. Volunteers supported special events, tax preparation, paw pals, summer reading, neighborhood beautification, literacy help, computer classes, leisure time activity classes, homework centers, tutors, and other support services within the library.