Fundraiser ensures seeds planted last year see growth in woodland library, community
CHERRY TWP — North Trails Public Library invites people to boost literacy in technology and the sciences by planting white lilies, fresh tomatoes, chili peppers, strawberries and sunflowers in their gardens this spring.
North Trails Public Library has kicked off its first Spring into STEAM Flower Power fundraising campaign, library director Kathy Kline said. The campaign, which will sell seed collections for flowers, fruits and vegetables, aims to raise $2,000 for the library and on-site education programs there.
This money will fund library programs in science, technology, education, art and mathematics for adults and children, Kline said.
“We want to have something for everyone,” she said.
“Once a month we have a Science Monday program with our little children,” Kline said. “Our new service coordinator does that with them. … It’s all science-based, and you always need supplies and different things for that.”
“And then, for the adults, we start some one-on-one technology classes,” Kline said. “We’re not quite sure yet what, but it will depend on what the demand is in the community.”
People who already use technology every day assume everyone else also has comfort using Microsoft Word or Excel, but that’s just not the case, Kline said. Some people can find general cellphone use awkward, too, she said, adding that she wanted to include senior programs that would orient seniors toward more regular cellphone use.
“And those are kind of our special programs,” she said.
Half the proceeds from all sales will go toward the library, the other half toward Flower Power Fundraising, which is also the name of the company delivering the seeds, according to Kline.
So far, the fundraiser, which launched Jan. 20, has raised just shy of $130, Kline said.
Items available for purchase include seed packages such as “Magic Moon Garden” for $23, “Perfect Salad Garden” for $14 and “Juicy Tomato Garden” for $14. Donors can purchase them by visiting www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/index.php/marketplace/seller/profile/shop/northtrailslibrary.
All orders begin shipping by April 1, with a $6 shipping fee for any size order, according to Flower Power Fundraising’s website.
The product is guaranteed, Kline said. If the seeds don’t grow, donors can contact the vendor online or by calling 888-833-1486 to have their purchase replaced, she said.
“I think it’s just a wonderful way to help this little rural library grow,” she said.
The North Trails Public Library, part of the Butler County Federated Library System, occupies what had once been a restaurant at 1553 West Sunbury Road, Kline said. In 2004, the site served as the base of operations for Butler County’s bookmobile, a mobile book repository, she said.
In 2011, the overhead costs for the bookmobile grew too expensive to manage, so that operation transitioned into the brick-and-mortar structure that stands today, Kline said. The county has come a long way since, advancing from a gravel-and-dirt parking lot to a paved driveway, she said.
“We had a new community room built in 2019, so we’re growing,” she said. “Libraries always happen to fundraiser. You get flowers. We get support. It’s a win-win.”
