OCR Text |
Show Sentinel Guardian of Your Community News WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009 • A7 Holiday Craft Fairs Kate Jar man / The Sentinel BLACK FRIDAY: Shoppers braved the crowds the day after Thanksgiving to find deals and do their Christmas shopping. Local residents visited holiday craft fairs going on at the Veterans' Memorial Building and at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds, where craftsmen and vendors offered everything from bows and jewelry to metalwork and donuts. Spirit of Giving: From GIVING • A l salvageable remnants of some of the marriage, birth and death certificates." He said there were less than 100 books total in the adult section of the library, and none in the children's section. "During the war years all the books had been stolen, destroyed or left for ravages of mother nature," he said. Seeing the library left Neil disturbed, and fueled an idea that has become a reality. His goal is to collect over 20,000 books to fill the building. To date, he's collected around 4,000 books from individuals, groups and an Eagle Scout project, but there is still a long way to go before he reaches his goal. A shipping container will hold 22,000 books, and he wants to have it filled by May or June 2010. Neil has teamed up with Agel Corporation to cover the expense of shipping the books to Monrovia. "I think the need for educational material really hit home as I interacted with the people of Liberia, and realized how little they really knew, even about their own country," Neil said. "The children knew less about the animals of Africa than any of our children or grandchildren here in Utah. Because 1 had raised ostriches as a hobby, and because they were native to Africa, I would ask the children if they knew what an ostrich was. I never did find one adult or child that knew what an ostrich was or that it was native to Africa." .Neil said they didn't know about geography, other cultures or anything outside the realm of their own daily lives. Neil has set up a book donation box at Sweet Briar Cove, 121 East 400 North, Salem, and his building at 230 West Highway 198, Salem. He said he will be at his building every Saturday from 1-4 p.m. to accept book donations, and Sweet Briar Cove is open every day but Sundays. Neil said hardback books are preferred, but they will take anything, for any age. He sent out a challenge' for everyone to "contribute to a nation and its children." ''Contribute books that have entertained, educated or inspired you, books that teach of the sciences, the arts, the languages, and the cultures of earths' inhabitants," he said. He said the real losers of poverty and war are the children who are "denied the access to methods of learning, denied the joys of reading books that take them to the realm of their imagination, that broaden their horizons, that expand their knowledge and understanding — books that educate, entertain, motivate and challenge their minds.*' DONATE TODAY • Donate any amount to any Central Bank location to help someone in need this holiday season. We'll make sure that IOO% of your donation goes to individuals and families in our community who need the help. Central Bank will match up to a minimum of $5,OOO.OO. Utah County's CENTRAL Small Business Bank www.cbutah.com B A N K rote |