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Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union opens two ‘Little Free Libraries’ in Lowell
LOWELL, MA (August 28, 2014) — Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union is pleased to announce our sponsorship of two Little Free Libraries in Lowell – one located outside of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell on Middlesex Street and the other at Mill City Grows’ community garden plot at Rotary Club Park on Richmond Avenue.
The Little Free Library movement, which now spans the globe, was started in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, who built a model of a one-room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who loved reading. He put the small structure on a post in his front yard and filled it with books that passersby could borrow or keep. Today, the nonprofit organization’s mission is to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.
“We are excited to sponsor the first Little Free Libraries in Lowell,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. “We hope that improving access to books will not only assist in enhancing literacy levels, but will also serve to increase neighborhood connections in the city.”
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union is working in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell and Mill City Grows in this ongoing endeavor.
“Having greater access to books will help our kids to improve their reading and their schoolwork,” said Joseph Hungler, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell. “We really appreciate Jeanne D’Arc’s donation of the Little Free Library and their support of our club.”
There are approximately 15,000 Little Free Libraries located throughout the world, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, India, China, Norway, Japan, Turkey, Ghana, Uganda, Israel, Romania, Portugal, Iceland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Vietnam, Lithuania, Italy, and Albania.
Photo cutline: Joseph Hungler, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell (left), Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union President and Chief Executive Officer Mark S. Cochran (right), and four members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell stand in front of the Little Free Library on Middlesex Street.
About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union:
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 64,000 members and $1 billion in assets. It operates seven full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, Methuen and Westford, Massachusetts; two high-school branches at Lowell High and Dracut High schools; a loan center in Lowell; and two mortgage centers in Chelmsford and North Reading