At the beginning of the month, Mrs. Archambault drove me to RISSE and we put all of my donated books into the RISSE library. I selected a few books to be put on display: Saving Grace (the protagonist is an african american girl), a Spanish to English dictionary and Coming to America (a story about refugees coming to America). I also re arranged the bean bags and tables in the space and fixed the lighting to make the space more comfortable and inviting for the kids.
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To continue improvements to the library, I have requested that hand sanitizer be placed on the RISSE Amazon wish list so that the kids can keep their hands clean as they use the spaces and the books. I’ve decided not to paint any quotes on the wall because the space will look better plain. I’m currently figuring out if it will be a fire hazard to hang lights on the wall.
Mrs. Archambault has generously offered to take me to RISSE in the next week so that I may place my books in the library! After introducing the books to the kids, my project should be at a close. I have begun working on my Signature presentation for May. My project will be finished when my books are placed in the bookshelves of the library. I’m corresponding with a volunteer at RISSE to see if it’s possible if I can talk to the kids about the importance of reading and of diverse books. Also, to let them know about the new books in the library and how they can use the new spaces. Below is an example of one of the books that will be in the RISSE center! "Yo Soy Muslim" by Latino poet Mark Gonzalez celebrates Latinx and Muslim culture in a beautifully illustrated book.
Some bad news is that the furniture I had delivered to the center is missing, but hopefully was just moved by the church. The volunteers at the center said they would ask for me. In addition, I have emailed the church and am waiting to hear back from them.
In other news, Pawa and I had a bake sale on Friday during lunch to raise funds to buy small items for the spaces we are designing. It went very well and we raised around 70$! I recently visited the RISSE Center with Pawa and we saw that a couple of volunteers had created a new RISSE library/ practice room in 2 empty rooms upstairs. These rooms were newly painted and a lot cleaner than the space in the cafeteria. Thid was very surprising however I've concluded that this helps my project a lot because now I won't have to worry about having a clean space for the kids to read in; with the cafeteria reading space, I would have it organized one week only to come back the next and see it messy with books across the floor.
The first image is the reading space and the second is the practice room. To further our search of furniture donations for the library, Pawa and I sent a message to the Yogibo company asking if they had any bean bag donations we could use for our project. Bean bags would be a great addition to the library space as many kids have fun with them. This would also add playful element to the space to help the kids think of reading as a fun activity.
When we have completed the space, I would like to have hand sanitizer (for when the kids want to use the books after snack), plastic book covers, and painted words on the wall. For this, I would like to do a fundraiser to be most likely in April when we are back from the break. This could be both a fundraiser and a donation drive for more books. This month, I completed the delivery process of the furniture donations from Foley & Cox. We talked over the phone about possible delivery dates, and I discussed the process with Rifat as well. The donations are now at the RISSE Center ready to be moved and used for the library!
In addition, I received more helpful advice from family, friends and librarians about what books to request donations for. I was even sent a book on books that display messages of diversity for children! Image one is an example of one of the books that is out-dated and torn up that I will be recycling. When sorting through the library’s books, I’m looking for any obviously old and roughed-up books.The second picture is of the current library, after some general tidying but before any big improvements have been made.
This month, I emailed family and friends my book list and have received dozens of book donations for the library! This past Thursday I went to RISSE and began sorting through their preexisting library and collected all torn up and out dated books to be recycled. I still have a lot more sorting to do so for the next couple Thursdays I’ll go to the center to finish. Also, local furniture company Foley & Cox Interiors is donating a table, bookshelf, and chairs to RISSE! I am currently working out delivery details with them now. They will be stored for when Pawa needs them for her signature project of re designing the library space. I’m very excited that my project is moving along! For Pawa’s project to redesign the library space, we need donations of rugs, paint and furniture. I have reached out to furniture companies on the East coast, primarily in upstate New York and am waiting to hear back from them! I have already heard from one of a possible metal round table donation. A big part of diversifying the kids thinking is to have a fun and comfortable environment for them to read and learn in! As we go on winter break, I am expecting to hear back from most companies.
Also, I was able to schedule a meeting with Rifat, the director of RISSE. I asked her questions about the background of the kids at the center and about her story coming to America. This will be posted on a separate blog post. |
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February 2018
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