Approximately an hour after I made my first blog post yesterday, I received an email from Texas Woman's University about an event going on at 4:00 pm. It was a dedication ceremony to a Little Free Library that Phi Kappa Phi won. It was like it was meant to be, so I had to go!
"Last year, there was a national PKP book drive. The five chapters that got the most donations would win a Little Free Library. Our chapter collected over 1,200 books, vhs tapes, magazines, and dvds to donate to Denton Country Friends of the Family. Some of the items went to their shelters, and some of the items went to their resale shop." said Heather David, chapter president of PKP.
The Little Free Library is an non-profit organization dedicated to bringing literacy to the public for free that started quite by accident when Todd Bol built a schoolhouse model in honor of his mother, who was a teacher and avid reader. After filling it with books and attaching a sign that said "Free Books" to it,, he put it out in his yard as a take-a-book-leave-a-book lending library, with books for children as well as for adults. It caught on and grew into a worldwide literacy organization with over 15,000 Little Free Libraries all over the world, and now we have one right here in Denton!
The box itself comes from the Little Free Library organization, and it is then decorated by the community. Mark Davis built the support beam that it is settled on and Elaine Davis painted it in a log cabin pattern, in honor the TWU's mascot, Minerva the Pioneer.
Attendees were asked to bring books to donate, and The Little Free Library overflowed with books on its first day! Everyone who donated a book was invited to attach a sticker to it that said who donated the book and why they recommended it.
The dedication ceremony had a number of adults and children, and children were invited to take part in a trivia game where they answered questions about authors, book characters, and basic literary concepts.
During her speech, Heather Davis quoted various people about the importance of books and reading. My favorite was from Groucho Marx.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friends. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
TWU's chapter of PKP began in 1980, and is an academically based organization that recognizes the achievements of students through inviting them to join, sponsoring local scholarships for student members of PKP, and also nominates one student member a year, and has for the last several years, for the national fellowship competition.
PKP members are now the stewards of the TWU Little Free Library, making sure it stays in good condition, doesn't get vandalized, and is always full of books.
If you're interested in getting more information about either the Little Free Library, you can visit this website: www.littlefreelibrary.org. If you're interested in learning more about Phi Kappa Phi at TWU, then visit this website: www.twu.edu/phi-kappa-phi/.
Note: I do have photos, but I have to get them to properly upload. Don't worry, they will be up soon!
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