Retirees Spearhead the Development of a Children’s Lending Library

As long time volunteers, Chris Kelsey and Loretta Arnn exemplify the important “imprint” volunteers can have on the organizations they serve. Retired from early childhood advocacy positions, Chris and Loretta made a commitment to continue their work through community service and have spent more than 12 years volunteering at Imprints Cares. Their experience with child development and family engagement has provided the organization endless opportunities to effect change through program and executive management. Thanks to Chris and Loretta, Imprints Cares has a child development resource room, book giving library, marketing event, needs closet and client records area.

Chris and Lorettta also use their time to mend gently used clothing for the children and handwrite fundraising invitations. Both critical thinkers with an eye for detail and organization, they have implemented processes that have improved organizational efficiencies. As a previous board president, Chris led an effort to transform the agency’s employee and client confidentiality program, implemented the use of performance appraisals, refreshed By-Laws and financial tracking systems and instituted a new record-keeping system. Loretta played an equally important role as she championed child development family-centered activities that supported proficiencies to the family educator home visiting and Pre-K programs.

Together, Chris and Loretta created a comprehensive children’s catalog library as well as a detailed method for client audit records retention and disposal. More recently, they’ve been instrumental in handling the organization’s continuous family satisfaction surveys to help monitor and improve work with clients, allowing staff to address concerns, assess staff performance, improve work processes and better understand client needs.