In truth I think it is fair to say Ms. Hungate
was initially wary of our offer of assistance – as it turns out there has been
a lot of “talk” by other organizations on how they could help, but most of that
had come to nothing. When I told her of the progress we had already made, Ms.
Hungate was stunned, to say the least. She asked me to pass on her thanks to
all concerned and will assist us in whatever way she can.
We discussed a number of logistical questions,
and Ms. Hungate shared the news that they are bringing ALL the local children
back to school in the district this fall. There is a site currently under
preparation and the children will be taught in portacabins. Two smaller
portacabins have been designated for use as libraries. This will fit in very
well with our plans to help. Ms. Hungate has a list of all the books that the
school previously had in the library, and she is going to ask the teachers if
they can prioritize a list which we can then work from.
She also mentioned that one of the suppliers
they have used for library services had gifted 24 boxes of books to them. At
this time they do not know what books those boxes contain, nor if they are
age-appropriate. Until now they have not had the resources to allocate some
manpower to this task. I have suggested to Ms. Hungate that we may be able to
assist with some woman-power, and we will work to come up with a suitable date
and time. Governor Beth Blair has suggested that some of the local clubs may
want to assist with this smaller project, and we certainly would welcome them.
I will be in regular contact with
Ms. Hungate as our project gathers pace, and will endeavor to keep everyone
informed of any needs or areas that require attention, as well as more specific
plans for further fund-raising.
On a personal note I wish to
thank all those who are helping me with this project – I am humbled by your
wealth of knowledge and willingness to give of yourself so graciously.
Gillian Allen7.2.2013