Local high school students Laney Gagne and Claire Pugliarullo recently saw a need in the Brooklet community and worked together to find a solution. Thanks to their efforts, you can now enjoy your next great read (for free!) from the Brooklet Book Box.
The two are members of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club at Southeast Bulloch High School, and they wanted to complete a "STAR Event" through the club.
According to the FCCLA website, "Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) Events are competitive events in which members compete at the regional/district, state, and national levels. All STAR Events recognize participants who demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities to actively identify an issue concerning families, careers, or communities, research the topic, and develop and implement a project to advocate for positive change."
Gagne and Pugliarullo did just that with their Book Box project. They chose to focus on the community service aspect, which is a national program of FCCLA. They recognized that their home community of Brooklet does not have its own library, and while books are an essential part of any community, they are an extra expense that many aren't able to afford right now.
"Books are super expensive, and Brooklet doesn't have a public library," Gagne said. "So this was our fix!"
Together with Gagne's boyfriend, Ryan Dixon, the girls sat down to sketch out a design for the Book Box. Impressively, Dixon was able to cut down pieces of old wood to create the box, so all of the materials used to build it were upcycled. They chose yellow and blue paint to represent SEB's school colors, and the product of their labor of love is now available for all to use.
The box is located outside of Brooklet Drug on Parker Avenue in downtown Brooklet, and community members are encouraged to both borrow from and donate books to the box.
"It is for all ages to bring, take, or borrow books," the girls shared. "Please go and check it out!"
