Riding the bus just got a lot more fun! Twin Transit has partnered with Timberland Regional Library, Shakespeare & Company: Coffee and Used Books and local Rotary clubs to place little free libraries on city buses. Each library is stocked with a variety of adult, teen and children’s titles. Simply borrow a book, read it at your leisure, return and repeat. It’s that easy!
“We are so excited about this project,” says Community Relations Director Andrea Culletto. “By putting little libraries on each bus, we make books more accessible, give riders something fun to do, and enhance literacy in our community. Plus, reading is a great way to reduce stress and forget your troubles. It engages the mind and activates the imagination. Anything we can do to make it more available to our community is a win on all fronts.”
When asked why it matters for people to have easy access to books, Culletto says, “Because literacy directly affects every aspect of life, from graduation rates to income-earning potential, to one’s ability to effectively navigate the healthcare system. The ability to work well with others and process complex thoughts and emotions are all tied into literacy. Reading is a key way we develop the vocabulary to assign meaning and process our world. It’s about so much more than just books. What better gift could we share with our community?”
The launch of Twin Transit’s Books on the Bus program coincides nicely with United Way of Lewis County and the Lewis County Rotary Foundation’s sponsorship of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This exciting program provides free, high quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to five years of age living in Lewis County. “The timing worked out really well,” Culletto says. “We are all turning our focus to literacy.”
Like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Books on the Bus is a truly collaborative effort. “I cannot give enough praise to our partners,” Culletto says. “They have all gone out of their way to support this effort. Timberland Library was onboard and excited about this program from the start. Books on the Bus wouldn’t exist without them. As soon as they heard about it, both Shakespeare and Company and Rotary jumped right in and started donating books. These remarkable individuals and the organizations they represent truly make our community a better place.”
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