Friends of Brentwood Library Have A Big Bash

The Friends of Brentwood Library put smiles on the faces of children, parents, public officials  and even public safety officers with the help of a few fabulous community partners.  FOBL presented a Back to School Bash at the Brentwood Library, August 15, 2014.  It was an afternoon of fun, food and information.  Parents and children queued up inside for the backpack give-away where they were treated to words of encouragement by Councilwoman Group 1 At-Large Kimberly Daniels, and a short presentation on The New Core Curriculum by a representative of DCPS’ Parent Academy.  Parents were encouraged to attend the educational sessions before the giveaway began. Then 124 backpacks were distributed to an appreciative group of parents and students.  Meanwhile, in the downstairs meeting room there was beading and foam jewelry making fun, and 35 youth participated in the crafts program conducted by our youth librarian Michelle Petrin.  The church across the street from the library allowed the Friends to use their parking lot for the outside activities. 

The fire department brought the big red truck and JSO brought the K-9 unit as well as the bike safety unit.  The officers directed traffic as customers crossed the street to pet the dog and climb into the fire truck.  Another local church provided hotdogs, chips, and drinks for 200 people.  There was jump rope fun and a hula hoop contest judged by Navy Federal Credit Union staff.  The Credit Union provided the prizes for that contest.  FOBL founder Sharon Coon stated “I’m very pleased that we’re able to serve so many people”.  She gave certificates of appreciation to all the volunteers.  Betty Williams, Library Associate and David Stevenson, part-time Clerk helped with the backpack giveaway, Michelle Petrin did the beading class and Gloria Armstrong took pictures.  Our little staff did our part  to help with the back to school bash and continued to Get to Yes with our other customers.  Betty Williams says, "Thank you all for your hard work, everyone.  We were tired but smiling at the end of the day."
In addition to providing monetary and volunteer support to the programs presented by the Brentwood Library staff, FOBL has identified three events they will plan and present this calendar year. The Back to School Bash was one of those events.  (Thanks to Betty Williams for this article.)