A lot of work happens behind the scenes to get Belmar Library ready to open for the day. That includes the work volunteer Kylie does: cleaning toys and supplies in the children's area.
"Kylie's enthusiasm and flexibility with rather grubby work," Belmar Kids & Families Librarian Rosalie says, "is so helpful and keeps me on my toes!"
It takes a special volunteer to be happy cleaning the same toys by themselves every shift. It's a never-ending job. But luckily, the work was just what Kylie was looking for.
"My job is very social, so I wanted a volunteer role where I could disconnect a bit," Kylie recounts. "I like that physical, kind of meditative task where I can see the work unfold in front of me. Scrubbing the foam shapes is my favorite."
It doesn't hurt that everyone Kylie works with at Belmar is friendly.
"Talk about a really welcoming group," she says. "They are also aware that I wanted a job that is not very social — they are gracious in giving me space to scrub hard and not talk."
Beyond the satisfaction of scrubbing, volunteering at Belmar is an ideal fit for Kylie. Libraries have been an important place throughout her life.
"I grew up in libraries with my mom," she explains. "Summer Reading kept me occupied and led me to a lot of resources that I never would have been able to access otherwise. My mom deeply valued the arts and humanities, and I got that exposure through the library since my school system didn't have a large budget for those subjects. As I was growing up and getting involved in community service, I wanted to give back in a way that really impacted me. The children's area has a place in my heart, and I was called to see if there was an opening there."
Kylie is a dedicated reader and is on track to meet her goal of finishing 50 books this year. The app Libby, by Overdrive is helping her meet her goal so she can read while driving or completing other tasks.
"I just finished listening to White Nights by [Fyodor] Dostoyevsky, and I'm currently listening to Commonwealth by Ann Patchett," Kylie says. "She's becoming one of my favorite authors. I really like her style of writing and the generational view she brings to the table."
Kylie also loves revisiting nostalgic favorites from childhood. Most recently, she enjoyed A Series of Unfortunate Events — the Tim Curry narration version, of course.
"One of my core memories was listening to that CD on the way to school," Kylie reflects. "I remember very vividly that after reading about the leeches in Lachrymose Lake, I became fascinated with parasites. My mom took me to the library because I decided to do a report on ticks. I remember taking tracing paper and tracing out the ticks from a library book for my report."
Kylie is still interested in the sciences, and her career has taken her on a winding path through many different fields. After starting as an EMT, she shifted to working as a medical administrator and phlebotomist, then pivoted to her current career in the water engineering and consulting industry.
"I like being able to see the impact that my job has on the community," she explains. "I handle incoming communication about the program, draft policies for the team, and handle a little bit of data management. I like knowing a little bit about a lot of things."
In her free time, Kylie loves to go for strolls — though her family has counseled her that if she is inviting a friend to join her, she needs to clarify that by stroll, she means an eight-mile or more walk — and she loves spending time in her garden.
"I'm currently de-jungling my yard," she says. "Once that's done, I really want to be able to grow my own food and contribute to the local grown culture. I see a lot of suburban farms with egg stands and baked bread and flowers, and I'd love to be able to do that at some point.
Kylie doesn't just daydream about local food culture — "Cucumbers, squash and zucchini, I envision trying to make my own zucchini bread without a recipe." — it's in her family history.
"We are very old Italian stock," she says. "My great-great-grandpa came over from Naples and opened one of the first Italian restaurants in Denver. We've got our roots down here."
Despite already having a busy schedule, volunteering has added even more meaning to Kylie's life.
"It's changed my life to wake up on Sundays and have a purpose instead of rotting away in bed," she says. "It's kicked off this revitalization of self, in a way. I'm very content right now."