(February 15th – Youngstown, OH) – JAC Management Group and Wean Park’s Community Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator, Derrick McDowell, have secured a ‘Little Free Library’ to stand on Wean Park’s promenade supplied by the Youngstown Rotary in conjunction with the Little Free Library Foundation. Installation of this ‘Little Free Library’ occurred the week of February 1st and was facilitated by local Army Veteran and Rotary member Frank Kishel. The ‘Little Free Library’ located on Wean Park’s promenade, which connects the Covelli Centre and the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, is now open to all park visitors. Little Free Library is a non-profit organization whose mission is to expand book access among communities through volunteer led book collections in public spaces. These collections promote increased literacy and a propensity for reading and learning.
The installation of the Little Free Library in Wean Park will allow the complex to further communicate values associated with its pillars of equity, inclusivity and diversity through a curated collection of books that are focused on such topics. The initial assortment of books was chosen by the Youngstown Rotary and the Youngstown Library under the direction of Derrick McDowell to reflect themes related to Black History Month as well as the aforementioned pillars of Wean Park. Current titles include “Walking With The Wind” by late Congressman John Lewis, “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, “Colorblind” by Tim Wise, and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.
“It may be small, in terms of capacity holding only so many books, but there is nothing “little” about what this Little Free Library inside of Wean Park will accomplish. We know that reading opens the mind and shapes the mentality of the reader and I, along with the Raymond John Wean Foundation and JAC Management Group, am hopeful that when our community gets ahold of these specifically chosen books, those possibilities continue to be endless within our community” remarked Wean Park’s Community Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator, Derrick McDowell.
Wean Park and JAC Management Group look forward to working with community groups and organizations in the future on book selections and interactive installations surrounding the reading material. Inquiries about these opportunities can be submitted to Derrick McDowell at dmcdowell@weanpark.com