I re-discovered Librivox.org with the help of my brother, Matt, this weekend. I have known about it for a long while, having been introduced to it several years ago by Matt, but I keep forgetting that it is out there. Last night, as we were listening to snippets of recordings of favorite works of literature, he suggested I volunteer to read something. This idea appealed to me largely because I did some voice acting in college, and I have been wanting to get back into it. Also, when I was looking at their catalog, I noticed there’s not much children’s literature on there.

Librivox invites anyone to volunteer, and doesn’t require any formal acting experience, and as a lover of books and literature, sharing that love with others appeals to me. So, I’ve decided to try one small project first, to get my feet wet, and then to read a children’s book, if I can find one in the public domain. At this moment, I am debating between three books to read for that second larger project. The first is Winnie the Pooh, the second is The Brother’s Grimm’s book of Fairy Tales, and the third one I am considering is Treasure Island.

I am visiting Amazon.com later today to pick up a noise cancelling microphone to use for recording purposes, and I’ll have to download some software to my computer, but that will pretty much be the only expense. I feel good about doing something for others, and since I am only working part time (from home) at the moment, it makes me feel more productive as well. I also want to volunteer because I think of the children who might benefit from hearing some of their favorite stories read by someone who enjoys the stories as much as they do. I will let you know how the recordings go while I work on them, and I’ll also let you know when I finish, in the event that anyone wants to listen.

I would encourage you to volunteer to do something you love to benefit others. If you are looking for a volunteer project, Librivox can always use more readers, but even if you choose not to volunteer there, please find a project and lend a hand. There’s no feeling quite like it. Peace Corps service taught me that we all must build the world we want to live in, and this is one small effort towards doing that.

Do you have a favorite volunteer project, or something you love to do that might help others? Please let me know in the comments.