PULLMAN – Members of the English Club at Washington State University delivered 29 boxes of books last month to Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane, Wash., after an arson fire in September destroyed the school’s library.
“It’s amazing to me that some students in Pullman would take time out of their busy schedules to do something like this,” said Dinah Coble, Sacajawea’s librarian. “We appreciate it so much.”
“After learning of the arson fire at Sacajawea, I thought that a book drive would benefit not only their students, but would also provide a meaningful community service project for the English Club,” said club member Michael Church.
WSU students organized a regional donation effort in several towns around Pullman during the month of October. “We donated just about any book you can think of,” said Jessica Strickland, English Club president.
The WSU donation and books from other efforts, including a book drive by the Boy Scouts, will allow librarians to have something to offer students until books are replaced by insurance. Coble says they are still going through the task of sorting and logging, but she estimates they received 6,000 to 8,000 books from donations.
“We are processing the books as quickly as we can,” said Coble. “Without donations like this from WSU’s English Club, we didn’t have any books at all for the children to read, so it has made a big difference.”
“The librarian and principal were ecstatic,” said Church. “They were amazed that a university group from WSU’s Pullman campus took such an interest in their school and that our club understood the importance of having quality books available for students.”
Coble expects that portable buildings will be in place by early January to serve as a temporary library and that construction on the new library will be completed by next school year.
According to Coble, books are no longer needed at Sacajawea, but a special account is still open for cash donations. Checks can be made out to Sacajawea Fire Fund and addressed to:
Sacajawea Middle School
401 E 33rd Ave.
Spokane, WA 99203
