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Blue Book Box |
The Olean Public Library has begun a children's book drive to help replenish books in its Blue Box Book program in the Olean area.The Blue Box Book program provides free children's books to any child who wishes to borrow from the boxes or even keep them.
Since 1998, several bright blue boxes filled with donated books have been located at various sites throughout the community where children and adults gather and wait. The books may be returned to the same or another Blue Box location or kept by the child. The purpose of the Blue Box Book program is to encourage reading among young people with their parents.
Jerod Kane, a local Boy Scout, is volunteering with the Olean Public Library to supervise the revitalization of the boxes in the program. The number of blue boxes has dwindled significantly in the past five years. As many as 24 boxes were in various places like doctors' waiting rooms, retail sites, day care centers and public meeting rooms.
Jerod Kane is supervising the replenishment of the current boxes and the establishment of new box site locations in the area. Ashley Furniture Home Store and McDonalds restaurant in Olean are already slated as new Blue Box Book sites. Currently Blue Boxes in the program which will be refurbished are located at the Olean Medical Group, Haskell Valley Veterinary Clinic, Y-Care, the Olean General Hospital and Fox Financial/H&R Block.
Donations of gently-used children's books for placement in the boxes are accepted at the Big Blue Book Box located in the Olean Public Library. New blue crates will be donated by Ashley Furniture Home Store for all new site locations. Sherwin Williams in Olean will donate paint for refurbishing current wood boxes used in the program.
We are excited to commit to this program which puts books into the hands of children in our community, said Tim Quinn, president of Ashley Furniture Home Stores in Western New York.
Individuals or groups interested in helping to fill the boxes and label and distribute them in the community should contact Kathy Price at the Olean Public Library, (716) 372-0200.