When Sheri Gilreath-Watts became a Kent District Library Board member, she gladly accepted the responsibility to support the values of KDL. Having a KDL Free Library in her front yard is a fun way to achieve that goal. Sheri said that the KDL family has a beautiful respect for the residents of Kent County and the cities that house our libraries.
"While KDL advocates for literacy, we strongly value the connection of our communities to services, programs and most especially books" Sheri said. "The Little Free Library allows me the opportunity to extend the same KDL values to my neighborhood while promoting my love of literacy. It's my Literacy-Love declaration!"
Sheri's KDL Free Library was built and installed in August by Jaci, a KDL employee, and her husband Justin. Sheri is so grateful for their labor of love and amazing craftsmanship. The library is located on the corner of Sunvale Dr. and Sunvale Ct., in the Chateau Estates neighborhood in Wyoming. It is featured on the neighborhood Facebook page.
"Planting a KDL Free Library in front of my house gives me the thought of growing a love for reading in my neighborhood."
Sheri, a teacher, shared a heartwarming story about her library:
"I received a phone call from one of my students that was experiencing some serious life challenges. She wanted to talk and hang out for a few hours. When I brought her to my house, she wasn't so eager to talk in fear of being judged for a few poor choices. So, realizing that I still needed to paint my Little Free Library, I encouraged her to help me by painting my library. During those two hours, she had fun painting and was magically comfortable enough to release a few secrets, concerns and hindrances... plus I gave her a great book to read too! When I checked-in with her a few days later; she was still talking about her paint job and posted our photos on her Facebook page. Mission: Accomplished!"
Kent District Library offers several Free Libraries throughout our service area. These mini-libraries typically house around 40 books each, including youth, teen and adult fiction and nonfiction materials. People are encouraged to take a book and leave a book.
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