And The Years Go By - Our Journey as a 501c3

Our 501c3 Journey

One Library At A Time grew out of a simple need. In 2009 I had the idea of creating libraries for children. I had no idea of what I was beginning and how it would grow. In 2011 we formed an 501(c)3, a non-profit organization. We formed a board of directors and began our official job of creating libraries for children.

We believe in changing the lives of the children that have never read a book. We believe in changing the lives of children who have no books to read. We believe in change. And that is why we created our 501(c)3.

Our libraries began with a site in a slum of David as part of a feeding center. It took 3 trips to get that library up and running. I was working on that learning curve. This library taught me the best way to catalog and label books. I still learn something new with every library and put that to use for future sites.

We have 36 libraries to date and everyone teaches us more. We have a group of dedicated individuals that lead the trips utilizing a booklet we developed that takes the process step by step. These booklets are available in Spanish, English and French.

To create a library it now costs $3,000.00. We are able to create the abbreviated Dewey Decimal System, cataloging and label all the books. It is a gift to see the children with wide open eyes seeing the books for the first time. There is always a child hanging around wanting to read. We “feed” them books as we work. At that point we know the library will be a success!

Thank you to all of you who donate so we can do this work. We are dropping a stone and watching the ripples.

I never knew what I was beginning with that first library in David.