Used books find a good home
Ebenezer Norman, a Liberian who has dreams of opening the first public library in his home country, picks up remaining books from the Castle Pines North library fundraiser.
by Carin R. Kirkegaard
In August, the Douglas County Libraries Foundation, in conjunction with fundraising efforts in the Castle Pines community, held a used book sale at the Castle Pines North Community Center located on Yorkshire and Castle Pines Parkway.
The event collected more than 15,000 books and raised more than $4,000. (To read more about library fundraising efforts see the article on page 13). However, not all the books found a home during the sale.
Thanks to fate and a little networking, two organizations – the Colorado chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Homes for Living Hope – picked up the remaining used books.
More than 115 boxes of books went to Homes for Living Hope, a non-profit organization founded by Ebenezer Norman, a Liberian who has dreams of opening the first public library in his home country.
“It is a great pleasure to know that a good portion of the books will be shipped to Liberia. These books will form the nucleus of the first public library open to all in that country,” said Vicky Kellen, chair of the book sale.
Norman attended college in North Dakota and has been looking for a way to help his country. After living in the United States and seeing first hand the benefits of having access to the knowledge that a public library offers, Norman set his sights on bringing a library to Liberia.
Currently Homes for Living Hope is raising money to build the library itself as well as to ship the books to Liberia. To make a donation to this effort, or to learn more, visit the website at www.HomesofLivingHope.org.
