Waikoloa Village was bustling with action Saturday morning as dozens of runners took to the streets for the fifth annual Friends of the Library-Waikoloa Region Walk/Run for Literacy.
“It is our major fundraiser for us,” said FL-WR Past President Bette Green. “It is not so much that the race earns money, but it keeps us in the forefront of the community’s mind as a reminder of why we are here and how important books and literacy are.”
FL-WR is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2010 with the primary goal of bringing a Hawaii state library to the Waikoloa region.
Many strides have been made toward that goal. A piece of land by the Waikoloa Stables has been secured as the land for the library, community support and government backing have been garnered, and the state has released funds for the design of the library building.
While the group is well on its way to seeing its dream achieved, a beautifully decorated bookmobile has filled the void in the meantime.
“Our mission is to provide a learning resource center and intergenerational gathering place via the traditional bookmobile until a permanent library facility can be built,” said Green.
The bookmobile, filled with donated books, is in operation 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week thanks to a committed group of volunteers.
“We have volunteers in the bookmobile every day and it is a very enjoyable way for us who read books a lot to give back,” said Derry Morris, the group’s volunteer coordinator. “Even with the potential library being built in the future, people are asking us that we keep the bookmobile going because they enjoy it so much.
“A lot of people appreciate having these books here. They will come and get a big handful, read them, bring them back and sometimes add some of their own as donations.”
Green can recall her first memories at a library. Those came back in Annapolis, Md., at the historic Reynolds Tavern. There she developed not only her joy for reading, but also learned things like how to arrange flowers, and properly set a table.
“Those are great things that can be offered when you have a facility of bricks and mortar,” said Green. “You can change a kid’s lifestyle by presenting those types of opportunities to learn, not just by reading it in a book or seeing it on the Internet.”
The reach of the group extends beyond the goal of building a library.
For the past four years, FL-WR has sponsored the islandwide Newbery Quiz Bowl academic literacy challenge for third- through seventh-grade students. The group has also have purchased and donated Kindle electronic readers loaded with e-books for use by Waikoloa School students through their library.
This year, FL-WR assisted with establishing a scholarship in honor of a former Waikoloa Village resident Joseph E. Spadaro. Kealakehe High School’s Joel Duhaylongsod was the first recipient of the scholarship, which is awarded to students commitment to enroll in a Transportation and Applied Technology Department course in the Hawaii Community College system on Hawaii Island.