A Library is coming together!

Hi everyone,

Just to clarify, we are not building a library....we are establishing one in one of the rooms at the Tierra Linda community center that we opened. 

We did not want to open the library for Gabby in a building we didn't own because then we would have had the situation that we may have had to move it.

So I talked to Becky and we decided to do it in a room in the Tierra Linda center....it is the second floor where the Tierra Linda Junior High is located. 

It is not a big room but it will be big enough for the time being.   We hope when we eventually finish the 2nd floor ( don't have funds for it right now so don't know when that will be )  ... the ground floor has the preschool, 1st floor the Junior High and now Gabby's library.   It is the 1st room at the top of the staircase.....the room is not big but thanks to Michael , our fantastic carpentry volunteer, there is now a little loft built in it so that kids can  climb up there with a book and spend time reading, there is an area below the loft that will be for smaller children, we have a very talented artist who is here right now who has painted a "magic garden theme" on the round table for the children and all the little chairs, about 6 of them are carved and painted with cartoon characters.  

We have a large verandah which will be used for the kids to arts and crafts and also they can take a book outside on the verandah to read.

There is absolutely nothing for the children to do in Tierra Linda so we know that this will become a highly sought after destination but we only have the funds for one teacher to be there ...who we hope will not only over see the library but also be able to help kids with their homework.....so we will have to limit it to 20 - 25 children per afternoon who will be able to come to the library....we are hoping we may have volunteers over the summer who could help out but the problem is with transportation.  It is the wet season and walking down the mountain on the wet, muddy paths in the rain is very dangerous and we do not always have a car we can send to pick someone up and we also have the same problem with the car, that in the rains, there are mudslides and rock slides and it can be dangerous to be on the road in the afternoon.  If we had a volunteer who would like to stay in Tierra Linda for a week at a time, then we could work that out. ...but in the meantime we will have to do the schedule on a roster for the children , so that the teacher is not overwhelmed.  

We are very excited about this and hope it should be open within the next few weeks.  We are still trying to find the right teacher and that is what is now the delay.  We have to have a man...because he will need to travel late in the afternoon...so he will need to have his own transportation like a motorcycle or not be afraid to walk the very long road alone.  It is not a situation, that a woman living here, would feel comfortable doing.

We are going to have a beautiful photo of Gabby on the wall and her story. 

We hope when we finish the second floor that the library will move upstairs and have a lot more space.   But I am not sure when that will be.

Thank you so much for the support with Gabby's library.....it will mean so much to Becky, Shane and Tucker ....and so much to the children of Tierra Linda!

Sharon