Zionsville Girl Scouts Troop 4029 had a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 28 for its new Little Free Library, which promotes literacy.
“We chose this project because we wanted to promote community literacy,” Girl Scout Vera Calhoon said.
The library is right outside of Boone Meadow Elementary School in Zionsville, the school where each of the Scouts attend.
“It was inspiring to build the little library for a cause I care about,” girl scout Norah Crawford said. “Kids should have access to books, but more than 8,800 schools in the country don’t have a school library inside.”
The Little Free Library not only provides access to books for the community, but it also allows the Scouts to develop skills such as teamwork, leadership and project management.
Each Scout spent at least 20 hours designing and building the library to earn a Bronze Award, the highest award for Girl Scouts juniors (fifth-graders).
The Scouts learned how to screw in screws, measure boards, cut boards and paint while building the library.
“I love that we put our handprints on the library to show that we made it,” Girl Scout Courtney Layman said. “This project was important to me because I like to see little kids learning to read and learning from reading.”
The troop raised money through a bake and craft sale at a Halloween festival in October of 2022 to buy the supplies.
“The girls worked hard throughout this whole school year to make this project happen. We are very proud of what they have accomplished,” troop leader Mandi Layman said.
The Scouts said they wanted to give back to the town and make a positive impact through the library.
