Veronica Kyle, a South Shore resident, unknowingly started a wave when she put up her Little Free Library outside her home with the hopes of influencing her surrounding neighbors to turn to learning and literacy rather than a life of the streets. The residents have been without a Public Library for close to a year, and with these little libraries popping up Veronica hopes to bring further peace and learning to her community. Veronica knows firsthand the importance of this after “…her house bears a bullet hole, received as a man was shot to death nearby. “Systemic problems” like a lack of literacy have led to drug sales, which have in turn increased the violence in her community, she said.” Click HERE for the full article.
“Stories like these are inspiring for a variety of reasons”, noted Christian Volpe of the Steele team. “We all know the value of reading. Only until one does it on a recurring basis, however, does that value really start to take shape. Making books more readily available to the neighborhood is huge when considering the temptation of mobile media or how easily we can forget about brick-and-mortar libraries. The efforts of Veronica Kyle and the neighbors supporting her cause are truly admirable. I especially appreciate the distribution (either through events or the little library display) to facilitate the books’ consumption. Greater literacy leads to a healthier, more creative community.”
Picture curtsy of Maxwell Evans/Block Club Chicago
Article curtsy of Block Club Chicago
