 The
grand opening of the Placencia Children’s Library was held Tuesday, 23
December 2003 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the new Placencia Children’s
Library on the grounds of St. John’s Memorial Anglican School in
Placencia Village.
The Placencia Children’s Library is a gift to the children and teachers
of St. John’s School from
The Iris
Foundation for Education, a Canadian charitable foundation formed
after Hurricane Iris devastated schools in southern Belize in October
2001.
Marilyn Beckstead, Director and founder of The Iris Foundation, presided
at the Grand Opening events. Also attending the Grand Opening were
Assistant Iris Foundation Director, Margaret Labelle of Ottawa, Canada,
the Reverend Jerry Jones of St. John’s Memorial Anglican Church in
Placencia, Laura Godfrey, Library volunteer and Board Member of the St.
John’s Memorial School Parent-Teacher’s Association, Graham Cabral,
Library volunteer and Member of the Placencia Village Council, Wendy
Westby, Member of the Placencia Village Council, Elysia Dial, Library
volunteer and Executive Director of the Placencia Tourism Center, Marcia
Fox and Mary Toy, Board members of The Iris Foundation and the Placencia
Humane Society, and Library volunteers Lynn Wilson, Cleve Westby and
John St. George, and new volunteers, Marsha Trent, Tina Hess, Janice
Kennedy, Brigitte Bachman and Rick Fairs.
The Placencia Children’s Library has been a major project of the Iris
Foundation at a cost of approximately BZ$25,000 for the furnishing and
stocking of the Library with books, children’s videos, school supplies
and educational software, plus reconstruction and repair costs for the
building housing the Library.
In Library
orientation sessions held during the week of 8 December 2003,
Placencia students previewed a wide array of over 1,500 beautiful books
especially selected and purchased for the Placencia Children’s Library
by The Iris Foundation, including children’s books on Maya glyphs, reef
and rainforest ecology, tropical animals, insects and birds, weather,
and Latin American cultures.When school
resumes in January, volunteers will operate the Library. These dedicated
adults will rotate on a regular schedule and assist with student
research projects as well as book circulation.
“The Placencia Children’s Library has been made a reality by the many
individuals and organizations who generously donated their time, support
and money to this project of The Iris Foundation for Education, “
explained Marilyn Beckstead, founder and director of the Foundation.
Funds were raised in Canada, Belize and the United States through a
variety of activities including fundraising dinners, art auctions and
walk-a-thons. Teachers and students from the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic
School Board were the major contributors of funds for the Placencia
Children’s Library project of The Iris Foundation.
Others
volunteers, donors and supporters include:
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Asbury
United Methodist Church of Denton, Texas (over 300 pounds of
books, plus school supplies and benches) |
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Mariucci
Levoni, former co-owner of Luba Hati Resort in Placencia
(additional books) |
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Dr. Jamal
Mahdavian, O’Mead Foundation, Kingston, New York (additional
books and school supplies) |
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Larry and
Terri Arant, Milton, Florida (book pockets and cards) |
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Noreen
Farrow, UK (obtained pledge of 15 computers from a UK company) |
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Brigitte
Bachman and Rick Fairs, Canmore, Alberta, Canada (library sign,
additional books and school supplies) |
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Chris
Moorehouse, UK, and Peter Jago, Canada (labour for installation
of electrical system upgrades) |
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Placencia
Parent-Teachers Association (planning assistance) |
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NECTAR
Foundation of Canada (full set of educational software including
language arts, math, science, creative writing and problem
solving programs for Infant 1 to Standard 6) |
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Rebecca
Justesen, co-owner of Toucan Lulu Rental House in Placencia
(additional books) |
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Vic Conforti,
Sonoma California (additional books) |
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The Gay
Family, Richmond Virginia (additional books) |
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Jake
Roberts, owner of Purple Space Monkey Internet Café in Placencia
(proceeds from the Café’s book exchange and additional books) |
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Trek Force
Volunteers Clare and Fran (painting of interior of Library
building, sorting and shelving of books) |
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Corol
Bevier, co-founder of Rum Point Inn, Placencia (professional
library cataloging and organization) |
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Library volunteers are still needed to work in
the Library for one hour per week. The Library also needs donations of
children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction. (A dedication to the
donor will be placed in each donated book.)
Contact Marilyn Beckstead,
info@theirisfoundation.com for more information. |
