KENT, Conn.—Around 50 volunteers gathered at the Kent Community House on Sunday, Nov. 8, for a luncheon held by the Kent Memorial Library to honor and thank the many people who donate their time and expertise to keep the library running.
As a private nonprofit library, KML receives only about a quarter of its operating budget from the Town of Kent. Volunteers are essential to fill in the gaps. Volunteer board members, their committees, and 150-plus other volunteers assist with programs, daily tasks and fundraising.
The annual thank-you brought volunteers together, many of whom were meeting for the first time, due to the varied schedules and locations of the library’s events and needs. Some people give consistently-scheduled time to sort books for the used book sale while others serve at one specific event, such as the summer benefit, or to lead regular discussion groups.
Library director Sarah Marshall mingled with guests as board members served buffet-style lunch of chicken piccata, eggplant Parmesan, pasta, meatballs, salad and more, from Kent Pizza Garden.
In a town of over thirty nonprofit organizations, run by hundreds of volunteers, how does one of the biggest community nonprofits choose its volunteer of the year?
“It’s always a challenge,” said Marshall, “but we have to pick somebody, and I think in many ways, it’s the most obvious person in the room.” She noted that planning and executing the move to the library’s temporary space while its 100+ year old location is remodeled and expanded, was a Herculean feat.
Marshall teared up as she announced that the 2026 volunteer of the year is board member Sam Callaway, who serves as the chair of the building/construction committee for the libary.
“Sam is the most patient and careful and thoughtful and gentle man, I think I’ve ever known,” Marshall said about Callaway.
Callaway and his wife moved to Gaylordsville, Conn., just south of Kent, in 2011. He joined the Kent Library Association’s board of directors in early 2020. As a retired architect, his expertise has been essential during this transitional time for the library.
“We have an unbelievably capable team,” Callaway gushed about the committee he chairs, as he addressed the gathered volunteers. “I want to thank everybody on that team and everybody in this room because you’re really all part of it.”
Callaway noted he has been working with libraries for over 30 years as an architect. “I’ve come to believe that small town libraries are the engine that really runs small towns of America,” he noted.
Board member Ellen Gutierrez, who serves as co-chair of the library’s summer benefit, tracks volunteer hours each month. Each board member reports their own hours, along with those of their committee(s), and any other people who volunteer. Hours vary significantly based on the schedules of each event or fundraising project.
“I might log three hours a month, if it’s not benefit season,” Gutierrez explained. “Sam consistently has logged 30-plus hours per month, for months on end.”
While the building/construction committee was very busy at the beginning of the year with February’s move, book sale volunteers are busiest during the summer. Of note, the used book sale team met its budgeted goal, despite dealing with a new location off the main walking paths of Main Street Kent.
Board member Julie Saxton announced that the library’s holiday boutique will be open at the library this week. There are also be used books for sale online.
Additionally, a new committee is working on creating a cookbook of recipes submitted by Kent residents. The recipe submission form is available online as writable PDF or at the library as a hard copy.
As the library prepares to return to its 32 N. Main Street location in the summer of 2027, it will continue to serve the community at its temporary location, 10 Landmark Lane, in the Kent Green shopping center.
For more information about KML, visit their website.
