The Rotary Club of Tsawwassen and its partners helped fill one of four Little Free Library locations at Diefenbaker Park with new books Monday.
There are three additional Little Free Library locations at Pebble Hill Park, Grauer Park at South Delta Recreation Centre and Beach Grove Mini Park. All are now stocked and ready for use.
President Laura Dixon said the project is perfect for the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen because it represents the core values of its members: community, partnerships and education.
“All we ask of the community is that you come by from time to time drop off a book you think others may enjoy, take a book you would like to read — it’s that simple,” Dixon said.
The project is in partnership with the Delta School District, Delta Community Literacy Committee and Corporation of Delta.
A few years ago, Rotarian James Latheron approached the school district to establish a partnership with students at South Delta Secondary. He worked for many hours alongside teacher Katrina Branden and her students to build five Little Libraries.
“As a teacher, not only am I delighted to see the promotion of written and visual literacy, but also the support for construction and design literacy projects,” Branden said. “Giving students more hands-on, community-based projects engages them beyond the walls of the school and creates important opportunities for our future. I strongly support, and would love to collaborate on, more community-based projects in the future.”
School district superintendent Doug Sheppard, added, “These beautiful lending libraries are not only charming to look at, they embody Delta’s commitment to supporting literacy in our communities. Access to books, and the open sharing of stories and ideas, is a fundamental part of what learning is all about.”
The Delta Community Literacy Committee, which has a mission to enhance literacy and learning in Delta, made a significant donation of books to help stock the libraries.
Many members of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen have been involved in the creation, finishing and installation of the project and have donated books but there is a further commitment from Rotarians to be stewards of each these libraries on an ongoing basis.
Many helped with project
The Rotary Club of Tsawwassen thanks its partners who helped bring the Little Free Libraries to Tsawwassen:
• Delta School District
• SDSS woodworking class of 2016 (teacher Katrina Branden)
• Consolidated Coatings
• Silver City Galvanizing
• Wesgray Construction
• Ladner Machine Shop
• Southside Flooring
• Delta Community Literacy Committee
• Delta Parks, Recreation & Culture
