A Volunteer Spirit

Meet Juliet Gustavson, a volunteer who is making a difference in the community through reading.

Just the other day, Juliet Gustavson, a volunteer at Surprise Elementary School, was reading with one of the children who was talking about a school break and going to see his grandparents in another state. The student was traveling alone with his dad. And then he paused for a moment and he said to her, “My mom died.” Juliet asked him if it was recently, and he said no. Then he responded to her, “It’s really sad though isn’t it.” She agreed. For her, this encapsulates the purpose of giving back. “When we start to understand the stories of the children, then I think for me, I’m just reminded of how phenomenal they really are when I see what they are dealing with,” Juliet said. “To be in a place where a child will share that, then you know that there is a level of trust. You are one more adult they can trust, and it puts a whole new level of value on not only the reading piece of it but the relationship piece. It’s surprising what can develop in about 10-12 minutes a week of consistent time.”

Juliet Gustavson moved to Surprise, Arizona seven years ago from Seattle. Upon retiring, she began to volunteer at Surprise Elementary School through her church. It started out with volunteers helping out in a variety of capacities at the school. She began to wonder though, how she could make a more valuable contribution to the children and gain more volunteers. “I think people volunteer when it’s made as easy for them as possible,” she said. “That’s critical. The job is identified, and they know they can do it.” She had an idea, one that involved something she values more than anything in her own life and education - reading. “The reason this appeals to me so much is because of all the things I’ve learned. If I hadn’t learned to read well, none of those other things would have been possible. I just feel as if that is the greatest gift that we can give to our children.”

Three years ago she started the Cub Book Club. It began small with second graders. Volunteers were reading one-onone for 10-12 minutes each week with the students. Then in the second year they added first graders. It’s meant to be fun for the children. They collect stickers and treasures for reading a certain amount of books. Pretty soon, her idea began to draw interest from others in the community. A handful of volunteers grew rapidly to 21.

Juliet Gustavson reads to a child at Surprise Elementary School as part of the Cub Book Club

“Our volunteers love what they do so much that they go to other places and talk about what they do, and then people say, ‘well I would like to do that!’” she exclaimed. “I think people volunteer because they’re welcomed, and they feel that what they are doing is needed, and they are fulfilled. It helps fill their cup in some way.”

Her fellow volunteers tell her every time they walk out of the school they just feel so good. “There’s nothing quite like walking down the hallway and hearing them say, ‘Ms. Juliet!’,” she said. “The children come over and just give me a hug. ‘Are you calling me today, am I going to read today?’ they wonder? There’s this enthusiasm that is so contagious.”

Juliet believes this simple model for volunteering at Surprise Elementary School can be duplicated at other schools. She puts in about eight hours a week reading and organizing the book club. It’s her little job, she says. She hopes there are others out there like her who have the drive to carry on the success she has had. Someone who has always had a passion to give back like her. “I’ve always worked in the non-profit field, so there is a sense of serving,” she said. “I’ve certainly had that instilled in me, a sense of service.” She spoke at great length about having the privilege of giving back. She believes you don’t need to have been a teacher, you just need to love children. You have to want to be a balcony person, an “encourager” to the children.

“I want to be part of the solution, not just complain about the problem,” she said passionately. “This is my community. This is where I live. I want it to be a good place. I want it to be the very best, most positive, nurturing place that it can possibly be. I think in a way, it would be very selfish of me to just live here in a place that needs what I and many people have to give, and hold back, and not do it. “If we can be a little piece, then I think we are helping to give children the most precious gift they will ever get.”

A student reads to a volunteer as part of the Cub Book Program at Surprise Elementary School.