CRESTLINE―The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce (GCACC) welcomed the “Free Little Library” to Kelly Park in Crestline with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Monday, June 12th.
Ten-year-old Adylina Troiano, a Crestline resident, is the force behind the new Free Little Library, an unlocked weather-proof box in the park that is open for everyone to take or leave books. “But even if you just take a book, that’s ok!” Troiano emphasized.
Troiano told those assembled for the ribbon-cutting that she was inspired when she saw the Free Little Library at the Galion YMCA and thought, “Why don’t we have one of those in Crestline?”
Once the idea took root, Troiano said she first got the go-ahead from her mother and then approached Crestline Village Council for approval. The Crestline Advocate was her next stop, to get the newspaper’s help with publicity.
“Then I got a post office box and started raising money to buy the box,” Troiano explained. After exceeding her initial $300 fund-raising goal, Troiano said, she was happy to be able to get “an even better box” than the one she had initially selected.
GCACC Executive Director Miranda Jones commends this young citizen for her active role in community improvement: “To my knowledge, Adylina is one of the youngest non-profit organizers in our county. We hear about young entrepreneurs opening lemonade stands, and we applaud those endeavors, too – but this is a non-profit, just for community enrichment, which is a noteworthy accomplishment that we are delighted to highlight!”
For more about the GCACC, visit their website at galion-crestlinechamber.org, email mjones@galion-crestlinechamber.org, or call the chamber office at (419) 468-7737.