Rotary Club Sponsors New Little Free Library in Hawthorn Woods
The Rotary Club of Long Grove, Kildeer, and Hawthorn Woods recently had a new Little Free Library (LFL) installed at Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center. This is their third LFL project. Their first LFL was installed two years ago at the Foglia YMCA in Lake Zurich. Their second LFL was installed last year at the Hawthorn Woods Community Park.
Little Free Library is based on the honor system encouraging anyone to take a book, leave a book. Not only does the Little Free Library encourage people to share their favorite stories, it also aims to build a sense of community and spark conversation. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that has more than 10,000 Little Free Libraries in 50 countries.
Rotary Clubs have a long tradition of supporting literacy projects across the world and in our local communities. The project was initiated and organized by Rotary Club member, Jim Dopler (President). He and fellow Rotarian, Don Biciste, both of Kildeer, were involved with acquiring and preparing the Library for installation by the Village's Public Works Department. They worked closely with Pam Newton, Chief Operating Officer for the Village of Hawthorn Woods, as well as Brian Sullivan, Director of Parks and Recreation.
Mr. Dopler indicated "This is a great location which makes the Little Free Library available to the many area residents that use the Aquatic Center on a regular basis in the summer, as well as those who use the Community Center which has traffic throughout the year."
Now that the Little Free Library is installed and available for the public to enjoy, the Rotary Club hopes their project will further encourage reading while also bringing their communities even closer together.
Stop by the Hawthorn Woods Aquatic Center, located at 94 Midlothian Road, Hawthorn Woods, to take a book or leave a book. Additional information about the LFL program is available at littlefreelibrary.org.
Additional information about the Village of Hawthorn Woods is available at ww.vhw.org.
Additional information about the Rotary Club of Long Grove, Kildeer, and Hawthorn Woods is available at rclg.org. The Club meets weekly on Tuesday mornings at 7:15 AM, at Joanie's Pizzeria of Long Grove. Prospective members are always welcome to attend.
The Club's major fundraising event of the year, the Rotary Race for Charity 5K Run and 3K Walk (formerly know as the Long Grove Heritage Race) will be held September 9th. Registration is now open at www.RotaryRace.org. In conjunction with the Race, the Club is also sponsoring a raffle. First prize is a $1,000 travel voucher. Second prize is $500 in cash. Third prize is a golf threesome at The Grove Country Club in Long Grove. Tickets will be available for sale at the Race, and are priced at $25 each, or 5 for $100.
Some of the recent volunteer projects the Club is involved with includes: hosting and serving the Community Dinner at Emmaus House, Lake Zurich; supporting Lake County Haven, Libertyville; sponsoring one mile of highway for the Adopt-A-Highway program on Route 83 in Long Grove; delivery of Thanksgiving Dinners to Veterans in Lake County; providing groceries for St. Mary's Food Bank, Buffalo Grove; contributions to Shelter Box, an international organization providing global disaster relief supplies; installation of Little Free Libraries in Lake Zurich and Hawthorn Woods; making donations to eradicate polio worldwide; and co-sponsoring an annual dental mission to Central/South America to provide free dental care to those in need.