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Chelsea District Library's Friend of the Year Pat Coelius (left) with Friends president Sharon Pignanelli.
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Pat Coelius got involved with Friends of McKune Memorial Library about four years ago, when she and her husband Bill decided to help with the monthly fund-raising book sales.
They've been a fixture at the library ever since - Pat in the children's area and Bill in the video area.
Last Saturday, in the final wrap up of National Library week celebrations, Coelius was honored for her commitment by being named Friend of Year, recipient of the Allyn Seitz award, established in 1992 to honor those who make noteworthy contributions to the Friends organization and the library.
The announcement took place at the Friends Open House, with a tea hosted by the Woman's Club of Chelsea.
Coelius, who recently retired from teaching at the Manchester Public Schools, was unable to attend the award ceremony - the result of another of her passionate commitments, this time to Ele's Place in Ann Arbor, an agency that counsels grief-stricken children, and where Coelius is being trained as a counselor. She received the Friends award earlier in the week from Friends President Sharon Pignanelli.
"Being a volunteer for Friends is a great experience," Coelius said. "Working with donated books from Chelsea residents and recycling them to avid Chelsea readers is very rewarding.
"I encourage people to save the second Saturday of each month for a family trip to book sale - it's a win-win experience."
Caring, capable, proactive, thoughtful, thorough, cheerful are all words that describe Coelius, Pignanelli said.
"She approaches her volunteerism as if it were a paying job making sure everything is professionally done," Pignanelli said. "Pat is always thinking about ways to make things better than they are and has spent a record number of hours helping with various aspects of the book sale. She sorts, shelves, sets up, and sells."
Under Coelius' vision and direction, the children's section in the book sale has been transformed from piles of books spread across chairs and tables at Washington Street to a comfortable corner with items arranged in categories for easy selection, Pignanelli said.
"Children love seeking her help to find just the right book and the smile on her face tells you that she obviously enjoys the interaction as much as they do."
Coelius' sense of commitment began with her family, her husband said. One of eight children born and raised on a family farm in Hillsdale County, she met her future husband when they were students at Eastern Michigan University. Both went on to careers in education: she taught third grade in Manchester, while her husband taught speech, debate, radio and television at Chelsea High School.
The couple has called Chelsea home since 1968, where they raised their two sons, Bill and Rob.
Coelius goes above and beyond those duties, Pignanelli said - sweeping leaves off the main entryway or taking care of other tasks, including loaning her "Snowpeople" collection to the library for holiday decoration.
"No doubt she has quietly done a million other things for the Friends and the Library of which we are not aware, never once seeking recognition," Pignanelli said.
This year's Bob and Mary Lou Bower Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Chelsea High School student Amanda Mostyn.
Amanda, who will graduate in June and attend the Michigan Career and Technical Institute in the fall, has been involved with choir, yearbook, SADD, and many Special Olympics sports.
She splits her school day between traditional high school classes and the Program for Independent Living that emphasizes job preparation and daily living skills.
Amanda's volunteer work at the library was arranged and monitored by the Program for Independent Living staff, and her job tasks were supervised by Callie Jerant of the Program for Independent Living along with Terri Lancaster and Wendy Smith of the Chelsea District Library.
Amanda works in several different areas of the library, including the Youth and Teen Department. While many students change jobs at the end of each semester, the fit between Amanda and the library was so good that she volunteered there all year.
Amanda's mother Jamie Phillips, father Michael Mostyn, and sisters Jordan and Sidney were present at Saturday's ceremony, as was her support team.
The two awards capped a day of community celebrations, during which the Chelsea District Library - also known by its local monicker McKune Memorial Library — was honored as Best Small Library in America. Now in its fourth year, this annual award co-sponsored by Library Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, encourages and showcases the exemplary work of public libraries serving populations under 25,000.
The library receives a $15,000 cash award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, conference costs for two library representatives to attend the 2008 Public Library Association (PLA) meeting in Minneapolis, and a gala reception at PLA.
"Saturday's Library Celebration was absolutely memorable," said Library Director Joan Elmouchi. "From the Woman's Club Tea in the morning, to the afternoon's food, tributes, awards and music, it was a day that will go down in the library's history.
"We're so grateful to all who were able to celebrate with us."
Sheila Pursglove is a freelance writer. She can be reached at bingley51@yahoo.com.
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