N

The Coffee County Manchester Public Library will be the recipient of the 4H Honors Club annual community service project this year. The club’s goal is to raise $1,000 to help the library purchase items for its sensory safe space.

The project is being spearheaded by 4H Honors Club members Lily Jones, 11 and Emma Morgan, 12, who came up with the fundraising idea after talking with youth services librarian Daphanie Gragg.

“The girls are very involved with the library,” Gragg said. “They are homeschoolers and I am always talking with them and recommending books, and I was talking to them about my passions and the things I want to do for the library and they came up with the idea of hey, let us help.”

Jones and Morgan presented their idea to the 4H Honors Club earlier this month, which voted to make it their community service project for the year.

“We are going to do a calendar in November and a bake sale,” Jones said.

Jones mother, Chelsea Jones, said the bake sale portion of the fundraiser will be next spring, and they will begin selling days of the calendar during the month of November.

“Every member in the club is going to be doing that,” she said. “They will each receive a calendar and they will ask people to donate the amount of the day they choose.”

Jones and Morgan will also be presenting their idea to the Farm Bureau Board Nov. 4 to try and raise donations for the project.

Amanda Morgan said both girls have worked hard to make their idea a reality.

“They took the initiative, they did some research and with some help they put together a PowerPoint and they actually presented it to the Honors Club,” she said. “They did a full presentation because it had to be voted on.”

Items that the library would like to purchase following the fundraising campaign include shaded light filters for overhead lights as well as wiggle wobble cushion seats and some other sensory friendly items.

Morgan said the lighting shades can be important for individuals living with sensory challenges.

“The different shades of colors with the lighting colors, different colors have calming effects for children,” she said.

Gragg said it great to see young library patrons wanting to make a positive impact for the library and its patrons.

“I am excited for them, I am proud of them and it means a lot that the kids that we are pouring ourselves into are pouring themselves back into the library,” Gragg said.

The deadline to make a donation is March 31, as the 4H Honors Club will be presenting what is raised to the library during Autism Awareness month in April 2024. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact Chelsea Jones at cjones0929@gmail.com.