Little Free Libraries - AP Story

Check out this article about how one Rotarian can impact so many and be an inspiration to us all!

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/wis-mans-little-free-library-copied-worldwide

This is the project that inspired our post "I had a vision":

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5630359238800832077#editor/target=post;postID=8035311357391918799

Thank you Cathy Smith for writing "I had a vision" and for asking Librarian Ericka the right question...

What Do You Want Out of Your Life?

What a day...working on a mentoring process, the electricity went down in the middle of the day - which eliminated the sound and flurrying papers from the fan...but then it got HOT! When we went in to see the girls who were sewing the handmade goods that many of you have ordered, we walked out drenched.

So many life lessons today we could fill a book, but "What Do You Want Out of Your Life?" as one of the topics of discussion was a highlight...oh my goodness we are learning so much! After work we went to eat at a local chicken joint down the street, swam a little, shopped a little and got right back to preparing for tomorrow - which will be a drill down on mentoring part II.

Too many thoughts and words are in my head and are tumbling out of my ears, so I will simply post some of the sights from today...enjoy...and keep those comments, "likes" and "shares" happening - it helps to keep us connected to our friends and family.

                                  

               

Our pizza hut

            

"I had a vision"

I had a vision…

Day 3 in Accra brought us off on a side-trip this morning to

the Nima area…a very deprived part of the city.  We 

headed there with Antoinette,who is the Director of a 

school that teaches 2-12 year olds.  A passion of hers is The Little Free Library www.littlefreelibrary.org which

 promotes reading through free book exchanges. We had

this connection throughTodd Bol from the Hudson Rotary Club. In Nima we met the

librarian - Erica, a very quiet 12 year old, who holds the keys to a bookshelf that sits in a

small compound housing more than 300 people.  She was so softspoken that I needed to

lean towards her to hear her words.  I told her how

impressed I was that a girl of her age would take on the

responsibility of issuing books and checking them back into

their small library.  She beamed…When I asked her “Why do you do this?”, her answer moved me to tears.  In
this destitute, dusty, and poverty stricken corner of the city, she said “I had a vision to help others to learn to read”.  

Gulp…we should all have been so fortunate to have had a

vision so early in our lives to help others. We found it hard  to walk away….

Tonight brings unpacking, repacking, and prepping for our

first session with our friends from Street Aid tomorrow.  We are EXCITED, and can only hope that Erica has inspired us to help others move from vision to a concrete plan, which can enhance the lives of many.

We are so excited to see many of you checking the blog!  Please don’t
hesitate to tell us what you want to know, what you find interesting, what
you would like to hear more about! Send us your comments...