LYNN — The REAL (Reading and Educational Assistance for Learning) Program has established a Little Free Library initiative to advance literacy in the city.
This initiative will install 250 Little Free Libraries containing children’s books that are free and easily accessible in local neighborhoods.
So far, 60 of these little libraries have been installed, completing phase one of the plan.
The REAL Program is a Lynn-based nonprofit organization, which describes its mission as seeking to improve literacy in the city, as only one public library remains and only seven of the 18 public elementary schools have dedicated school libraries.
“Children need books and people to read with them, especially during these pandemic times,” REAL Program Executive Director Jan Plourde said.
To celebrate the completion of phase one, Plourde announced the first REAL Little Free Library Crawl, which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, and costs $5 per person.
Members of the community are invited to register to partake in visiting 20 designated libraries on a family-friendly scavenger hunt.
The hunt will begin at the Lynn Museum, where participants will receive a passport, map, and scavenger-hunt clues.
During the tour, children and adults can search for clues at each little library and have their passports stamped by volunteers, sponsors, and members of Lynn Community Television and the Lynn Police Department.
Upon completion of the course, participants will return to Lynn Museum, where police officers will award certificates and prizes, and guests can partake in refreshments and live music. “Dancing will be welcomed, as Sunday, Feb. 27 is Dominican Independence Day,” Plourde said.
All of the proceeds from this event will help to complete the building and installation of the other 190 Little Free Libraries.
REAL supporter Lyssa Anderson said there are so many legitimate reasons for kids to need a literacy program and access to books.
“Their parent(s) may be non-English speakers or unschooled; parents may be too exhausted from working subsistence-wage jobs to spend meaningful time reading with their kids; a child may be too shy to participate during the school day; literacy may not be a touchstone in the family culture; and many, many more,” Anderson said. “The REAL Program gives whole families the opportunity to rise and it deserves our support.”
Anderson has a 10-year-old grandson who she spends several afternoons a week with, reading and working on homework, which is time that she considers a blessing to them both.
“Not every child has a grandmother who reads with the time and energy to lead them to literacy, but The REAL Program steps in for those who need learning companionship,” Anderson said. “Every child and family should have access to reading education and partnership in learning.”
For more information or to register for REAL’s Little Free Library Crawl, visit its website at www.therealprogram.org.
