The Westland Stevenses
We probably should have done this months ago, but so far, the Westland Stevenses haven’t seemed to mind. Every month, when we post the new Volunteer of the Month, we picture Angi and Kory logging on to the website and sighing in resignation: Not us. Again. (It didn’t make us feel any better about it when former intern and Volunteer of the Month [August 07] and current tutor Rachel Lieberman accosted us one day: “Seriously…when are you going to make Angi and Kory the Volunteers of the Month?”) I mean, in terms of diversity, stamina, and just plain hours, few volunteers do more than they do. So every month we feel a little guilty, and every month they appear not to feel thwarted.
We had a plan, though, see? And probably a shoddy one at that, but you know: February, Valentine’s Day, love…why not choose the hardest-working 826 couple? They’ve certainly earned it. They’re not the only married couple who volunteers here, but they are the only married couple who volunteers here whose prom picture we have. Yes, that’s right, friends: the mostly undoctored picture you see above is Angi and Kory back in the nineties (or maybe the early aughts?), before they both had the last name Stevens, when they went to prom together.
And here they are now:
Yup, still posing for cheesy couple shots. (This one was taken at Enchantment Under the B, a semi-formal hosted by two former Volunteers of the Month, C Jason [August 06] and Rich [July 07].)
But enough background. Let’s go over the finer points of Angi and Kory. For starters, if you combine them, there is probably not one volunteer opportunity they have left untouched. Angi has typed and photographed for our field trips; taught workshops at 826 and in schools; minded the store; done graphic design; photocopied; been part of the creative team for the super-awesome, super-secret store we plan to open this spring; and she is our *official* photographer. She’s also super reliable, up for anything, and always willing to help out. We like her. Kory recorded, mixed, and mastered most of our CD: I Am Not a Philosopher, I Am Just a Green Monster: Songs of Monster Protest; has had an integral part in our Storytelling & Bookmaking workshop; comes in early to help set up sound equipment for our field trips; and basically comes through every time Amy has some sort of a crisis on her hands. He’s also incredibly patient, really smart, and funny. We like him.
And, really, that is only the tip of the iceberg. But it might make past Volunteers of the Month feel bad if we wrote their entire history with 826michigan. It’s very long; think: novella. So we’ll call it good for now, and stop here by saying: Thank you, Angi and Kory, for the billions of hours you have given us, and the millions of things you have helped out with. We like you.