A group of South Orange teens left no page unturned when tackling their summer reading: They devoted 300 hours at the public library as volunteers, working side by side with the staff in the summer reading program, "Make A Splash. Make A Difference."

Nearly 1,000 children signed up for the reading program. On any given day, large groups of children attended the library's special events, including art activities, games, movies, gardening, and a library scavenger hunt. The 25 teen volunteers helped with the programs.

"I like working with children, so this was the perfect place to volunteer," said 16-year-old Mehek Kulsoom.

The junior library volunteer program is part of a concerted effort by the library to make it a welcoming place for teens. This summer, in addition to the volunteer opportunities, the library hosted ping pong, calligraphy and animation for teenagers. YouthNet, a non-profit organization develops and runs after-school programming and enrichment programs for middle and high school students, became involved by providing a teen intern who helped with administrative tasks.

The teens were honored on Aug. 26 by the South Orange Library. "With you, our summer reading was an even greater success, and you truly did make a splash by making a difference," said Keisha Miller, the library assistant who began as a page at the South Orange library who now oversees the volunteer program.