From the beginning, Bexley Public Library served as a center of lifelong learning, community engagement, and cultural experience for its local residents, and it was one of the first libraries in central Ohio to serve the homebound. The mission of the library is to “enlighten, inspire, and empower our community through trustworthy resources and extraordinary service,” and they certainly have done this for Books 4 Bright Futures with their generous support.

The Friends of Bexley Public Library are an Ohio non-profit corporation comprised of members of the community who recognize the need for organized support for the library, and they host two book sales each year where you can find thousands of gently-used books at unbeatable prices.  The Bexley Friends of the Library have generously supported our efforts to accumulate books for our cause.

Shipment #1 is headed to two of our partner schools in Sri Lanka. The Gemini Dissanayaka Model School and the Dharmadarshi Primary School will both receive books our team has collected and we are looking forward to hearing of their arrival after then long journey. We are so pleased to be able to send our first books to Sri Lanka and we are ready to start working on our next shipment!

Riveen found us a wonderful resource for new books this summer. He learned about a book sale at the Columbus Metropolitan Library which he decided to check out and attend with his dad. Although during this visit most of the books had already been sold, they were still able to purchase a bag of books for the Books4BrightFutures drive. At a subsequent event, Dinath attended a related event called the “Book Bag Event” and managed to pick up some great books for the drive. Since he waited in a long line that day, he realized that next time he would arrive early to get the best selection!

The library came through again for our team when Henry, Karl, and Riveen attended the Columbus Metropolitan Library Big Book Sale – Bag Event. They were among the first to enter the sale and were able to fill several heavy, book-packed bags to support the Books4BrightFutures drive. Their enthusiasm and teamwork made the day a wonderful success!

Big Book Sales at the Columbus Public Library have become a wonderful resource for our team — they are held twice a year — and it gives items withdrawn from the library’s collection a second chance at a well-read life. Books 4 Bright Futures definitely has a new life for their books! The Columbus Metropolitan Friends of the Library is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization made up of everyday customers and advocates passionate about Columbus Metropolitan Library and we are thankful for their help with our mission.