Photo credit: Permian Press staff, Love Midland

What happened: I spent Saturday morning at Love Midland’s third annual City-Wide Volunteer Day, where more than 1,100 people gave 2,140 hours across 75 projects. Attendance doubled from last year as students, school representatives, families, local businesses, and nonprofits showed up to do their part.

The big picture: The morning began with a reception at Astound Broadband Stadium from 8 to 10 a.m. Lee and Midland High cheerleaders welcomed volunteers, while nonprofit booths and tables offered freebies from H-E-B, Taco Villa, HTeaO, 7 Brew, and others filled the gathering area.

Kids got their faces painted, local beauty queens moved through the crowd greeting people, and the stadium was filled with people who chose to spend their Saturday giving back. Organizers and city leaders, including Police Chief Greg Snow and City Council member Jack Ladd, thanked everyone for giving up a Saturday morning.

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“I am so proud to be among you today, because I know for many of you this is your day to sleep in, take care of your needs, to lounge around the house, but instead you are here to love Midland,” Snow said.

Go deeper: After the reception, volunteers dispersed to 75 projects across the city, putting their time and skills to work for local organizations. I chose to volunteer with the Recording Library of West Texas, an organization that caught my attention while I was researching the event.

The library records audiobooks, newspaper articles, Bible studies, and other requested materials for people who are visually impaired or have difficulty reading because of conditions such as dyslexia or autism. Our group was introduced to the organization, trained on the recording system, and then spent the next few hours reading. Some volunteers recorded short children’s books or Bible studies, while others, including me, read newspaper articles.

In just two hours, we recorded a month’s worth of Bible studies, a short book that filled a client request, and several newspaper articles. The library posts the recordings on their public SoundCloud.

“We used to have a 24-hour stream that would include the daily headlines,” Anna Celeste with the Recording Library said. “We’re trying to get that back up and running.”

The organization records the local newspapers every day and recently partnered with Wink ISD to record books from the district’s school library for kids. In the office, a decent-sized bookcase holds titles clients have requested and are still waiting on. If you have ever wanted to record for Audible, or thought you might like voice work, go try the library. It was really fun, and it helps people who need it.

The bottom line: Love Midland connects volunteers with organizations already serving the community, and Saturday brought those efforts together for one citywide day of service. But the need for help doesn’t end when the event does. The Recording Library and other participating nonprofits continue to rely on volunteers throughout the year.

Visit the Love Midland website to explore local volunteer opportunities and find an organization that could use your help.