Volunteer Opportunities at Multnomah County Library

Looking for an opportunity to volunteer at the library with your certified therapy cat? Read to the Cats is a program that gives kids the opportunity to make a new friend and improve their reading. We are looking for enthusiastic cat/person teams to help young readers build their confidence by practicing their reading skills. All teams must be certified prior to applying. If you’re not yet certified, you can get a certification with your cat through Pet Partners.  

Location: Holgate Library, 7905 SE Holgate Blvd., Portland, OR 97206

Time commitment: Flexible, to be scheduled with staff at Holgate Library. 1 hour either weekly, every other week or monthly for at least 6 months 

Tasks and responsibilities

• Accompany certified therapy cat at all times.
• Facilitate positive reading experiences with young struggling readers.
• Provide good interactions between your therapy cat and individual children and parents.
• Show up to your regularly scheduled library shift consistently.
• Teach children about how to positively interact with cats.
• Maintain therapy animal certification through the duration of volunteer position.

  Skills and qualifications

• Current certification by Pet Partners
• Minimum 18 years or older
• Patience and flexibility
• Comfort working with diverse groups of people and diverse learning abilities
• Comfort working with various ages of young children
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Empathy and a friendly demeanor
• Ability to work as part of a team and to collaborate with volunteers and staff 

Benefits

• Help youth with literacy skills
• Make a positive impact in the lives of library patrons.
• Receive heartfelt thanks from library staff and patrons.
• Learn more about library services and programs.

Training and other requirements

• Age 18 or older.
• Ability to work independently to facilitate the program.
• A volunteer application must be completed before becoming a volunteer.
• Ability to pass a criminal record check. Results of the records check will be reviewed on an individualized basis. A conviction is not an automatic bar to volunteering.
• Site orientation and review of volunteer program policies and procedures.
• Wear your volunteer badge and fill out a timesheet every time you volunteer.