Girl Scout Troop 525 to unveil Little Free Library at LAPD Rampart Station

May 15, 2014

WHAT:
Girl Scout Troop 525 LAPD and Rampart Area launch a Little Free Library at Rampart Station

WHEN:
Thursday, May 15, 2014
4:30 p.m.

WHERE:
LAPD Rampart Area Station
1401 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
 
WHO:
LAPD Captain Brian Pratt, Area Commanding Officer, Rampart Area
LAPD Captain Art Sandoval, Patrol Commanding Officer, Rampart Area
Girl Scout Troop 525
A Chance for Children Foundation
BookEnds

WHY:
To unveil the Rampart Area Free Library with a reading with children from the community.

Girl Scout Troop 525 and LAPD Rampart Area in conjunction with a local non-profit organization, A Chance for Children and BookEnds, have partnered to establish a Little Free Library inside the Rampart Area Station lobby.  This library functions as an educational and outreach tool to children and community members in the Rampart Area vicinity and builds a sense of community, while promoting literacy and a love of books.

The Girl Scouts from Troop 525 organized numerous book drives in their community collecting over 1,000 gently used books to donate to the Library. The Girl Scouts played a crucial role in designing, building and painting the Library.  They also sought and received donations for furnishings, established a reading reward program and organized the grand opening.  The Girl Scouts have spent hundreds of hours in order to earn their Silver Award for community service
The Little Free Library is a gathering place where neighbors share their favorite literature and stories.  In its most basic form, it’s like a shelf full of books where anyone may stop by and pick up a book and contribute another one to share.  The library is registered in a national registry where community members can locate it online.  All books are free for children of all ages and will be listed by age group reading levels.

It is hoped the Little Free Library will have a positive influence on community quality of life and provide a place for neighbors to meet and get to know each other through “community in the station programs.”  LAPD Cadets will serve as stewards of the library to help teach important life skills, ownership of a project and the importance of community.  Additionally, police officers will be     involved in providing book-reading programs at the station with local schools. 

More information about opportunities with the Little Free Library is available at www.littlefreelibrary.org.  The books will be re-stocked through generous donations of non-profit organizations, community members and police officers.

CONTACT:
Members of the media interested in attending should contact Sergeant Franco with the Rampart Community Relations Office at 213-484-3010.