Hitting the streets

Westfort residents are taking to the streets to raise money to support the new Mary J.L. Black Branch Library.

Short $90,000 of a $250,000 fundraising goal, campaign chairman Patrick Morash said the Walk-the-Block campaign is a great opportunity for individual residents to contribute to their community.

It’s as easy as it sounds, he added, noting they’re not asking for huge donations.

“Coming up in April we’ll have volunteers going literally block by block in Westfort requesting people contribute $5 toward the Mary J. L. Black campaign. We figure that that’s an amount that most people are able to give and it’s a way to get volunteers engaged as well.”
 
Morash said he figures if everyone steps up, the campaign could raise about $27,000.
Although he’s realistic and knows not everyone will donate, he’s confident the community will get behind it 100 per cent.

“I’m certain they will. People have already gotten behind the Mary J.L. Black project generally and this is a specific opportunity for us to reach out to people who for whatever reason haven’t been able to connect with the project yet,” Morash said.
 
The $5.1-million library, being partially built with funds supplied under the federal government’s infrastructure stimulus spending program, is expected to open to the public in May or June.

It can’t come soon enough for 11-year-old Kaylib Tremblay.

The youngster, who took donations from city councillors on Thursday to kick off the campaign, said it feels great to volunteer to help with such an important project, one that’s near and dear to her heart.

“During the summer I like to read books, since I’m not at school and I don’t have the library there,” said Kaylib, the first volunteer to step forward. “The library in Westfort helps me out to read books.

“(The Walk-the-Block campaign) is a great idea. People should really get involved because, why not?”

Barb Philp, the acting chief librarian for Thunder Bay Public Library, said it’s a cause worth fighting for.

“Today a group of Westfort neighbours are appealing to the rest of the community. Books and stories are the foundation of our library system, its history and its success. We encourage everyone to volunteer to walk their block to help us to build on this success for the new Mary J.L. Black Branch Library,” Philp said.

To become a volunteer visit http://www.tbpl.ca or pick up a volunteer registration form at any library branch.