It was "speed dating" library style Friday night at Northland Public Library. For the third year in a row, the library sponsored Volunteer Speed Matching, where potential volunteers meet representatives from nonprofit organizations with the hope of a finding a good match of time, talent and interest.

Attendees had five minutes for a "one-on-one speed date" to interview the representatives, of more than a dozen groups, said Pat McCarthy, volunteer coordinator, and the organizer of the event.

"We started it as part of our Boomer Connections program. That generation is retiring and thinking about things they want to do. I had learned about the event from a professional journal on a program in Canada and thought it would be a fun program for us," she said. "Of course, it is open for all ages."

This year, Mrs. McCarthy extended an invitation to North Hills area schools. Attendees ranged from children to senior citizens.

As a member of Volunteer Administrators of Southwestern Pennsylvania, she put out the word to other nonprofits. "We have 14 organizations and have to cut it off there because of the size of our room. We also have some on a waiting list," she said.

Starting at 5 p.m., potential volunteers mingled with the representatives over wine and cheese, then at about 5:25 p.m., the five minute "speed dates" started.

Diane Porcelli and her 14-year-old son, Alex, were looking for potential summer opportunities for both of them. "I want to find something worthwhile. I don't have a lot of spare time, so I would like to find somewhere that I could volunteer every once in a while," said Mrs. Porcelli, of Franklin Park.

Alex, a Boy Scout who has some volunteer experience through that organization, said he wanted to explore possibilities as well. "This is kind of fun to meet all of these people at once and compare them," he said.

The Porcellis and 33 others talked with representatives such as Sheila McFeeley, from the Good Samaritan Hospice, who was recruiting volunteers for Good Sam, a summer program for children who have experienced the death of a loved one.

A volunteer herself, Mrs. McFeeley said, "This is the first time that I have been here and I think it is a wonderful idea. We usually recruit through churches and of course, we are always looking for new volunteers, so this is a great opportunity for us," she said.

Cleda Klingensmith, of the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania, brought in a cage with nine kittens. "This batch was just dropped off today. In May alone, we rescued 519 cats and kittens," she said.

Donna Macsuga, of Franklin Park, was one of the volunteers helping with the program. "I found a wonderful volunteer opportunity at Providence Family Support Center that I never would have found otherwise," she said, "I have been volunteering there ever since."

Mrs. McCarthy interviewed potential volunteers for the library. Now a veteran of organizing the speed match, she has helped other libraries and organizations with their own events. "We just did one at the Whitehall Library on May 15 and it was very successful. I have also helped some other places like Goodwill," she said.

At the end of the night, she was pleased with the results. "We had a lot of really good feedback from both those attending and the organizations. I identified four really good potential volunteers for us," she said.