ADRIAN — A new Free Little Library outside the Align Center for Workforce Development at 440 E. Church St. is the 29th to be installed by the Adrian Morning Rotary Club since the group launched its Little Free Library program in March 2015.
The club partners with Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Michigan to get most of the books for the project. Club members go once a month to Goodwill to sort through boxes of books to find the ones that will work best for the Little Free Libraries.
Jessica Johnson, director of Adrian Morning Rotary’s Little Free Libraries committee, said the club also purchases some books from Scholastic Books to fill gaps such as board books for young readers, multicultural books and bilingual books.
Other book donations come from the community as well. ProMedica Hickman Hospital sponsored a book drive last year, Johnson said, and Manchester High School donated a van full of books for the project.
Community members can also bring books they wish to donate to the Adrian District Library at 143 E. Maumee St. The library provides space for the club to store books that are waiting to be distributed to the project’s sites.
People can also put books in the Little Free Libraries on their own or arrange to have a club member pick up donations, Johnson added.
The Little Free Libraries have books for both adults and children.
“We do cater to both because we’re trying to promote literacy in the community for both children and adults alike,” Johnson said.
The freestanding structures are located in front of businesses, churches, and sometimes individuals’ homes. One Little Free Library is located outside the Adrian Rea Literacy Center and features books that are suitable for readers learning English.
Club members build the structures.
“They’re getting better every time they build them,” Johnson said. Metal roofs are now used because they last longer, she added.
Although the slogan is “Take a book, leave a book,” the Rotarians don’t mind if people don’t follow it. “We want everyone to take as many books as they want that they’re going to use and read, so you don’t necessarily have to leave a book behind when you take one,” Johnson said.
Community members can donate to help fund the project or learn how to sponsor a Little Free Library through the club website at adrianmorningrotary.org, or mail in a check, Johnson said. More information is available on the website.
Rotary fundraisers: The Adrian Morning and Noon Rotary clubs will join together on Friday, Oct. 24, for a Dine to Donate event at Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aubree’s will make a donation to the fundraiser for each diner who mentions that they are there to support the Rotary clubs with their fundraising for the International Polio Vaccine End Polio Project. Aubree’s is located at 1329 S. Main St. in Adrian.
The Rotary clubs will also hold a “Purple Pinkie Project” on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Adrian City Market, located at 115 Toledo St. in Adrian. Participants will have their pinkie fingernail painted purple for a donation. Each purple pinkie will represent children who get vaccinated for polio, especially in India and Pakistan, according to Michele Gardner from Adrian Noon Rotary.
Kiwanis Holiday Cheese Sale: The Kiwanis Club of Adrian is hosting its 46th annual Holiday Cheese Sale, featuring a selection of cheeses, beef log and summer sausage and butter cheese, as a fundraiser. Ordering information is available at adriankiwanis.org.
Kiwanis of Tecumseh fundraiser: The Kiwanis Club of Tecumseh is selling gourmet mixed nuts, roasted and seasoned with sea salt, online and at local shops and businesses. (No peanuts.) More information about the holiday fundraiser is available online at k04618.site.kiwanis.org.
Rotary wreaths: The Adrian Morning Rotary Club is selling holiday wreaths online at adrianmorningrotary.org. See the website for more details.
Morenci Kiwanis Wishing Tree project: Starting Nov. 17, stars for the Wishing Tree Project will be available on the Kiwanis of Morenci Facebook page. Additional stars will be posted as more families are added to the list. More information will be available on claiming a star and returning the gift items closer to the posting date. All gifts will be due to WesBanco in Morenci by Dec. 12. Monetary donation can be mailed to Morenci Kiwanis, PO Box 84, Morenci MI 49256 or sent via Venmo to @MorenciKiwanis.
Tecumseh Service Club: Upcoming Tecumseh Service Club meetings will be on the first Monday of September, October, November and January at 7 p.m. at Tecumseh United Methodist Church, 605 Bishop Reed Drive, Tecumseh MI. Anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to attend. Applications for Christmas assistance will be available online at tecumsehserviceclub.com starting Oct. 15. Residents must live in the Tecumseh school district or in Clinton, Britton or Tecumseh to qualify.
