2022 Rogers Scholar and Boyd County High School student Hope Smallwood decided to collect donated children’s books and set up a portable library after she learned students at Boyd County Early Childhood Academy did not have a library at their school.
Hope and her father constructed an outdoor Little Sharing Library where students can “take a book and share a book.”
“This project is very important to me because reading is the cornerstone of all education, and I want kids to have an easily accessible source for all types of books. I have always had a love for reading, and I think that it is critical to start that at a young age. Seeing kids from my own community create this love for books warms my heart, and I am excited to grow this project as the years go by.”
Graduates of The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars program are required to complete a community service project. For more information about Rogers Scholars, visit www.centeryouthprograms.com.