The ​​City of Bloomington Volunteer Network Be More Awards is the local community's way of honoring and applauding the outstanding, but often unrecognized efforts of its volunteers. Ten awards are presented annually during a celebration honoring nominees in which a $500 check is presented to each of the recipient's volunteer organizations in honor of their outstanding service.

Congratulations to Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL) tutor Molly Gleeson for winning the 2019 Be More Knowledgeable (Education/Literacy) award, and to VITAL tutor David White for winning the 2019 Be More Dedicated (Lifetime of Service) award. Read more about 2019 Be More Award Recipients are VITAL

After years of working in west coast bookstores and developing a specialty in rare books, Shannon
Bowman-Sarkisian is now studying to be a librarian at Indiana University and working as an Information
Assistant at the Library. Searching for meaningful opportunities to work on behalf of our community,
Shannon applied for and received the 2019 Pioneer Grant.

The Pioneer Grant invites Library employees to submit their enterprising ideas and lead the way to a
knowledgeable, inclusive, and engaged community empowered by the Library. Projects must be
innovative and beneficial to the community. The Friends of the Library provide funds to make the grant
project possible. Read more about Pioneer Grant to Reduce Library Barriers for Domestic Violence Survivors

For the first of an ongoing series of conversations with our volunteers and learners, we asked VITAL volunteer LuAnne to chat with tutor Dennis Davoren and learner Adam Garmon about what makes their partnership successful. 

Adam has worked in construction and other hands-on trades, although these days he is on medical leave awaiting open-heart surgery. "I can make just about anything," he says. "I could build you a house." Dennis is retired, and while he has spent only a year as a VITAL tutor in literacy, prior to moving to Bloomington from Louisiana, he was a math tutor for more than a decade. Adam and Dennis have been meeting for weekly sessions since July 2018. Read more about VITAL Conversations

The ILF Tom Zupancic Literacy in Libraries Award recognizes community advocacy for literacy by an individual or organization in cooperation with a library. VITAL received this accolade for promoting the importance of literacy and adult education at the library. Since VITAL’s inception in 1977, our program has helped over 6,500 learners achieve their personal learning goals. Read more about VITAL: Winner of the 2018 Tom Zupancic Literacy in Libraries Award 

Check out the League of Women Voters newsletter for details on the candidate forum.  You can also view CATS video from the forum.

A forum series presented by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington & Monroe County at the Library allows you to see real live candidates for local public office. Local government often affects our lives more than federal and state government, so the forums are your chance to get involved by hearing what the candidates have to say and asking them questions directly. Read more about Meet Local Candidates for Office