Groton Library Volunteer Wins National Award

GROTON, CT — A volunteer at the Groton Public Library, has received the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award. Terry Ziegler was given the award on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The national award is given out each weekday to extraordinary individuals who are donating their time and talent to better their communities, according to a statement from the library.

The Point of Light award stems from President George H. W. Bush’s inaugural address which invoked a vision of a "thousand points of light," and invited the nation to take action through service to their fellow citizens.

Ziegler recently marked 18 years of service as the library's homebound delivery service facilitator. A retired music teacher with the New London Public Schools, Ziegler delivers books, movies, magazines, and other library materials twice a week to those in Groton, Mystic, and Noank who are unable to leave their homes.

She makes 62 deliveries and covers more than 100 miles a month.

"It’s rare that you come across such dedication," Kimmerle Balentine, a librarian and volunteer coordinator at the Groton Public Library, said in a statement. "The Library wouldn’t have the resources or staffing to maintain a homebound delivery service without Terry. She doesn’t just make the Homebound Delivery Program possible; she is the Homebound Delivery Program."

Many of the library patrons Ziegler delivers to spoke on her behalf.

"Terry has been my lifesaver over the past couple of years," Tenille Martin, formerly of Groton, said in a statement. "She delivers huge bags of books no matter the weather. When the pandemic resulted in self-quarantine, Terry checked in on me by text to make sure I knew there was someone out there who cared. To say that Terry is a selfless volunteer hardly describes the effort, care, and dedication she gives to the people she delivers to for the library."

In addition to the award, Ziegler is featured on The Points of Light Foundation’s website, which describes itself as the world’s leading organization dedicated to volunteer service.