Lodi Library names volunteers of the year

Lodi Mayor Doug Kuehne recently presented both Rick Seim and Kelly Nimtz with the Bob Hildreth Library Volunteer Award for their hard work and commitment to the Lodi Public Library.

Seim has served as a volunteer in the library’s homework help room for more than a year, dedicating his time to help children reach their academic potential. He was shocked when he found out he was chosen as library volunteer of the year and felt that there were others that deserved the award much more than he did.

“I really had trouble believing that they thought I was doing that good of a job,” he said.

What really touched Seim is when four families of the children that he helps in the homework program attended the awards ceremony and one of his pupils presented him with a handmade thank you card.

“Rick has been instrumental in implementing our homework help program to the level of success we display today,” said Literacy Volunteer Manager Yvette Herrera. “He is a committed volunteer who is with our homework help program three out of four days per week, and he is well liked by fellow tutors as well as students.”

Like Seim, Nimtz was also surprised and grateful to be chosen as a recipient of the award.

“There are many people that are deserving of this award at the library. We have many volunteers, over 200, and they’re all working hard and I am just one of them,” Nimtz said.

Nimtz is a board member of the Lodi Public Library Foundation and has been volunteering with the library for two years. Prior to being with the foundation he informally assisted some of the board members with fundraising.

Library Director Dean Gualco said that volunteers, such as Seim and Nimtz, are critical to the library’s success.

“Libraries are increasingly turning to volunteers to help meet their obligations to the community and without volunteers of the caliber of Kelly and Rick we may be unable to offer the same level of service that we have in the past,” Gualco said. “So we’re extremely grateful to every person who donates even an hour a week to library and especially for the services of Rick and Kelly.”

When Seim retired from his career as an attorney, he was looking for something else to fill his time and decided to volunteer. Soon after, he was tutoring children three days a week at the library. Seeing the children finally grasp the material he’s teaching them is Seim’s favorite part of the job.

“When that little light bulb goes off, and they say ‘oh yeah, suddenly I understand,’ that does it for me.”

Seim said the biggest challenge he has faced as a library volunteer was when he was working with a child who had immigrated to the United States with his family. The

child’s lesson in school that day was about opposites, and one of the examples was ketchup and mustard.

“For some reason, we could not make a connection with this kid about ketchup and mustard. It was two of us and we were working about half an hour patiently trying to get him to understand, and finally it dawned on us that he didn’t know what ketchup and mustard was,” Seim said.

Once they told the child what ketchup and mustard was then the child understood.

“It worked out in the end. The main things is that you just have to be patient and keep trying. As long as the kid is willing to keep trying, you have to keep trying.”

Seim advises those interested in volunteering that the library is a great place to start.

As a board member of the foundation, Nimtz is responsible for helping to raise private funds to help augment and build upon the public funds the library gets from the city.

“I’m kind of like a conduit for the library,” he said.

Nimtz enjoys being a part of providing library services to the community.

“Every time I go in there and see the services that the library provides to people regardless of their race, background or economic abilities, it really makes me happy,” Nimtz said. “It’s something I believe in strongly and it’s a pleasure to be a part of that.”

Nimtz said watching the number of supporters and donors at the library grow over the years is his greatest accomplishment as a volunteer.

In his free time, Nimtz enjoys riding his bike, spending time with the his four grandchildren and traveling with his wife of 50 years.

“I feel very lucky to be able to have those kinds of activities and being involved with the library gives me a way to give back for benefits that I’ve had in my life and the things that I’ve been able to enjoy,” Nimtz said.

Gualco encourages those interested in being involved in their community to come volunteer at the library.

Those interested are asked to contact Literacy Volunteer Manager Yvette Herrera at