by Vicki Ikeogu
news@thenewsleaders.com
There is no greater joy for Sartell resident Gayle Smoley than to see a young child pick up a book and start reading.
“It’s the heart of it all,” she said. “If you can read and write, you’ve got it made.”
For most of her adult life, Smoley has been on the front lines of many classrooms, teaching kids how to transform the words on a page into stories fit for their imagination.
But these days, the 71-year-old has found a new calling, rooted heavily in her past experiences. As the volunteer coordinator for the Sartell Community Center’s Resource Center, Smoley has helped the city further realize the impact reading has on children – and adults – of all ages.
A pioneer for the Resource Center, Smoley spends her days combing through the thousands of books donated to a free library. Together with a team of 12 volunteers, Smoley is helping make sure Sartell kids have access to a library in their city.
“This is my love,” she said.
Because of her dedication to Sartell Community Center’s Resource Center, along with other volunteering work throughout the area, Smoley was named the 2017 Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year.
“I really feel this award belongs to my committee (as much as it does me),” Smoley said. “We all worked really hard on this library.”
For Smoley, her journey to the Sartell Community Center’s Resource Center began more than 50 years ago as a volunteer for Head Start, an early childhood-education program.
In fact, she was one of the first volunteers at the St. Cloud Head Start when it opened in the mid-1960s.
“I like the younger children because you actually see them learning,” Smoley said. “You can watch the lightbulb come on. You know if you are making a difference.”
Her journey through education led her to programs in Greenwood, Mississippi, and South Bend, Indiana, working in inner-city schools instilling the importance of reading and writing in young children. She then moved back to Central Minnesota.
“And when I moved back to St. Cloud, I was on the other end of the spectrum,” Smoley said. “I was at (St. Cloud Technical and Community College) working with young women who wanted to become volunteers, paraprofessionals in the classroom.”
Her work continued by helping students at the University of Minnesota in the early-childhood field before the teaching bug resurfaced once again.
“After that, I started work at Bethlehem Lutheran (Early Childhood Center),” Smoley said. “And when I got to Sartell, I really (started) believing in (the fact) kids make a difference if they have their parents behind them. And I really saw the reason for early-childhood family education. The whole family needs to be educated, not just the kids.”
Smoley soon began working to develop a reading program within Sartell in which parents were taught tools to help their children learn how to read.
“I really firmly believe the kids were doing so much better with their language and knowing their letters,” Smoley said.
Smoley eventually moved from St. Cloud’s Bethlehem Lutheran to Sartell Elementary School. She was one of the founding members of the district’s early-childhood program in 1988. She remained there until her retirement in 2012.
Smoley may be retired, but she continues to play an active role within the area. In addition to her role at the Resource Center, Smoley volunteers with the Sartell Senior Connection and the Friends of the Library program with the Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud.
For her, continuing to spread the joys – and importance – of reading is more than just a hobby. It’s a passion that shows no signs of slowing down.
“(The Sartell sharing library) will never stop,” Smoley said. “Much like the work when I volunteer with the public library, it doesn’t stop. There’s always something to do. It’s like teaching. You’re never done.”
Sartell resident Gayle Smoley sorts new donations for the sharing library inside the Sartell Community Center. Smoley was named the 2017 Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce.
Sartell resident Gayle Smoley unpacks and sorts newly donated books for the sharing library inside the Sartell Community Center. Smoley, 71, was recently named the 2017 Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year.
Sartell resident Gayle Smoley stocks a book shelf at the sharing library inside the Sartell Community Center’s Resource Center. Smoley, 71, was recently named the Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year.
Sartell Community Center’s Resource Center Volunteer Coordinator Gayle Smoley was recently named the 2017 Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year.
Sartell resident Gayle Smoley, 71, was named the 2017 Sartell Senior Volunteer of the Year by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce, the Hospitality and Visitors Service and city staff.
