Megan’s Library of Love

Student Reporter: Mariah Keller



Megan‛s Library of Love book drive began in 2006.The task began out of the inspiration to remember all of the memories of Megan, to help our community heal, and to make a difference in the lives of others. The 5th grade class at Cedar Grove-Belgium Schools combined these goals with Megan’s passion for learning and reading to create the Library of Love. The fifth graders at CGBMS are honored to carry on this yearly tradition.


Every February, close to Megan‛s birthday, fifth graders gather donations of recently purchased books and send them to schools in need. The “Love Books” are a gift of love meant to encourage learning and reading. The fifth graders have the responsibility of making posters, contacting businesses, labeling all of the books with a Library of Love sticker, sorting the books into categories, and packing all the books for shipping.


In the three years since the Library of Love project began, students have collected over 7,400 books to send to schools in need. In 2006, 3,419 books were sent to St. Bernard‛s Parish to help rebuild their school library after Hurricane Katrina devastated the community. In 2007, 1,613 books were sent to White Mountain School in
Alaska which is a small village that lost its high school due to a fire. In 2008, 2,431 books were sent to Greensburg, Kansas after a tornado destroyed over 95% of the town.


This year, students collected books from February 4-13th and were hoping to reach a goal of 2,600 books which brings us to a grand total of 10,000 books. The “Love Books” will be sent to McDowell County, West Virginia. This community has 38% of its population living in poverty and a 90% unemployment rate. Children there have not had new books in their libraries for decades and will be thrilled to receive them from Megan’s Library of Love.


This year’s total came to 4,614 books! It was our biggest year ever, and we now have exceeded the goal of 10,000 books to a total of 12,077 books! The students reward for reaching the goal of 2,600 books this year was a school wide read-a-thon.
Thank you to everyone for making yourselves a part of Megan’s Library of Love. Your contribution not only helps those in need, but it also keeps Megan’s dreams alive.