Library Project…Goal Reached!
How does one turn their thoughts and ideas into reality? It starts with the thought and then action on the thought. One must continually follow through no matter how long it takes. Focusing on why the goal is important and how it can help and transform others keeps the journey going despite the challenges faced.
Through persistence, faith and focus, the right time is finally here! My once-upon a time thought became tangible and actualized. How long did it take? Six years. Covid-19 was part of the delay proceeding with the plan. However, I focused on the journey. What has been interesting is that the initial goal, which was to start up a library, has changed over the years because of the logistic realities and many other factors.
My main goal was to have the books shipped to Kenya this year. In February 2025, the books were finally collected from our home in Greenville, SC where they had been stored in the closets in boxes for years. The loading timeframe being this week from the 8th March to 15th March 2025, the books are expected to reach their destination in May.
The shipping company based in Marietta, GA.
The following has been the sequence of my journey.
1) The thought of starting a library was way back in October 2019. I was inspired by my love of books and wanting the same for children starting from an early age, (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten up to 10 years of age). My goal was to acquire 100 books and then reach out to family and friends to get more books through donations.
2) Greenville, Friends of the Library Group, had a sale. Some children’s books were as cheap as five cents. I would reach my goal of 100 books within no time! I asked a volunteer for some boxes because I planned to buy a lot of books. The volunteer was interested in the books that I chose and seeing how many I put in the boxes, she asked if I was buying the books to stock the little free libraries (small community-based libraries). I shared my dream of starting a library in Kenya. The volunteer excused herself and came back with another volunteer and asked me to share my dream again, which I did. They then asked for my ID.
3) When you shop, you don’t need to show an ID and so, I asked why they needed my ID. The answer almost knocked me over. Because of my goal, they were willing to donate all the books that I had in the boxes and even gave me more. The two volunteers helped me load 255 books that day, thanks to the Greenville Friends of the Library Group.
4) I was motivated to get more books. I started receiving books from my friends and even more from Greenville, Friends of the Library Group. I stopped taking donations when the closets in our house were full of boxes of books.
5) Through this website, I reached a broader audience in spreading the library project. I appreciate people’s valuable ideas and suggestions that enabled me to find a way to send the books without any further delays. It was a delight to finally find a foundation that was willing to fund the shipping costs and would stock the books in their start-up libraries.
6) My family and I sorted the books into categories and by age. Of the total 2,055 books donated, not all books were children’s books. We donated 200 books to a friend who will be shipping the books to a Kenyan Women’s Prison where mothers will be able to read to their young children. We also donated 278 books (which were culturally unaligned) to Thrift stores in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
7) We packed and labeled the boxes using the age criteria. Thirty-six boxes (1,577 books) are enroute to Kenya. The AMG Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities by offering free library services initiatives in Kenya. Check out their website https://amgfoundationke.org/.
8) Thank you for accepting my invitation and for sharing your ideas. It was through your ideas that I found a way to have the books shipped to end users, the children. Looking forward to when the children will have the books in their hands.
