News from Cooperstown Central School
CCS Library Club Members Seek To Foster Community Growth
By GRACE McLEAN
COOPERSTOWN
Giving back to your community is one of the most fulfilling experiences, as community service teaches young individuals the value of empathy and caring for others, especially if you do not know them personally. Small actions, such as setting up book collections at the library or managing a room at the annual Parents as Reading Partners event can alter someone’s life for the better, even if you are blissfully unaware of the effect.
Most volunteer work done by the Library Club is to help make the lives of community members easier. Whether the action consists of lifting heavy boxes full of books or staying late after an event to help clean up so others can go home earlier, we aim to make a difference in the lives of those around us. Change comes from just one person doing one thing, no matter how grand or seemingly insignificant. Through small acts of kindness, the Library Club focuses on preparing young adults to lead a life full of empathy for the world around them and act within their community.
Currently, as president of Library Club, my main goal is to establish all members as active participants in the community. Whether they help set up and clean up committees at the several book collections at the library, or volunteer to help make events such as the annual Crayon Carnival or PARP Sleep Under run smoothly, volunteer service in all forms is beneficial to our community.
Moreover, not only do we aim to assist the Village of Cooperstown, but also the community we are actively a part of in school. The Library Club hosts a drawing at the end of each month where a winner is selected to receive a gift card to the Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta.
Additionally, members have worked together to brainstorm other ways to increase library attraction, which has led to the idea of a “book tasting” event. Here, students can explore different genres of books and learn of titles they were previously unfamiliar with. Through these events, we aim to strengthen a sense of community throughout the school, as well as invite students to pick up a book more often.
The work we do as members of Library Club aims to foster growth in community pride among young adults and prepare them to become active citizens in their communities for the future, whether here in Cooperstown or wherever they may find themselves.
Grace McLean is a senior at Cooperstown Jr.-Sr. High School.
