The Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (SBPH) volunteers were honored by the Library of Michigan Foundation on Dec. 8 when a plaque was unveiled in the library's atrium with the names of all Library of Michigan volunteers.

Our Volunteers:

• Leo Hawkins - more than 25 years of service
• Keith Morley - more than 17 years of service
• James Nolan - more than 17 years of service
• George Kost - more than 17 years of service
• Joe Renaud - more than 17 years of service
• Lowell Wilson - more than 17 years of service

• Richard Vogt - more than 38 years of service
• Mary Hartshorn more than 17 years of service
• Andy Anderson - more than 8 years of service
• Michael Donovan
• Karen Glaser
• George Merva
• Nichole Leslie - more than 3 years of service
• Lori Poznanski-Mason - more than one year of service

• Rita Holtham - more than 2 years of service
• Karla Brintley - more than 2 years of service
• Herb Mercer began volunteering this year
• Sonhee Mercer began volunteering this year
• Barbara Koval began volunteering this year

SBPH benefits greatly from the service of our volunteers. The gentlemen you see pictured above have all been volunteers for over ten years. One volunteer has been reading books for us for 38 years!

SBPH has dedicated volunteers in a number of areas. The photo above includes our Telephone Pioneers, retired Bell Telephone workers who repair the playback equipment for library patrons. We have one of the longest-lasting groups of Telephone Pioneers in the nation and they repair hundreds of machines for Michigan residents each year. The photo also includes one of our narrators. Our volunteer narration program produces approximately 30 titles a year with ten volunteers. We record titles based on patron requests. We also improve the national book collection by recording Michigan history titles and fiction by Michigan authors. We benefit from other volunteers as well, including those who serve a few hours a week as receptionists and those who serve many hours a week in our materials handling area - checking in and shelving books.

The staff of the Library for the Blind would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers. We couldn't function without them! Their contributions to our service improve the lives of thousands of blind and physically handicapped people across the state and across the nation. Thank you for your dedicated service!

For more information, contact SBPH staff at 1-800-992-9012, or e-mail us at: sbph@michigan.gov.