Junior Friends Achievements
January 2008 through October 2008

January 2008
Enrollment is picking up; registration is now up to 18 with 2 staff members (former Junior Friends) attending when they can.  It really is great to see previous members still wanting to help out.  We spent the meeting washing the covers of the children’s board books. We were able to get through the entire collection.

February 2008
Board member, Peter Derry, assisted us at this meeting.  We created “Bee Mine” Valentine’s Day cards for the Memory Care residents at the Seabury Woods Adult Residence.  Heidi dropped them off on Valentine’s Day.  Plans for March include making a Spring Egg Tree for the Gates Town Hall.

March 2008
Lynn Tocco and I prepared eggs ahead of time (we blew them out).  At the meeting the Junior Friends decorated them; there were about 3 dozen.  Later, Heidi tied the eggs to branches and then presented the completed “tree” to the Town Hall for their front lobby.  They were most pleased to receive it.

The Spring Tree On Display In The Gates Town Hall Lobby

April 2008jrfrnds
Three new teens tried out the Junior Friends meeting today…two will probably return for future meetings.  Our project for this meeting was to sort and file date due cards.  Many hands and teamwork made the task go quickly.  Junior Friends also had a chance to help out a Town employee, Matt Warner, by creating 6X6 square art work.  They were then donated to a local art studio and put up for sale at the East End Festival.  All proceeds benefited the art school.  The Junior Friends had a great time showing off their creativity.

May 2008
Junior Friends sort and put away date due cards.  Heidi was out sick that day.  Many thanks to Donna Peasley for taking charge of the Junior Friends group.

June 2008
We started the work on the party games for the end of the summer, children’s reading program.  Ordinary shoeboxes were turned into “bugs” for a touch and feel guessing game, and work was just about completed on the wet sponge toss game.  We hope to finish the games next month.

July 2008
Junior Friends finished making the games for the summer reading program.  They also made quite a few imaginary bugs for wall decorations for the children’s reading party.  Twelve Junior Friends were in attendance at the meeting and two new members joined.

August 2008
A “regular” Junior Friends meeting was not held this month.  Instead, the Junior Friends participated in the Children’s End of the Summer Reading Program Party.  They ran the games that the children played.  Fourteen Junior Friends participated and helped to make the party a huge success!

September 2008
Junior Friends created a new bulletin board for the children’s area.  The theme was:  National Library Card Month.  The Junior Friends made the board read:  “A Library Card Can Take You To:” and then depictions of places a library card can take you were put on the board.  For example...A library card can take you to…Outer Space…or American History….or The Sea….etc.

October 2008
The Junior Friends started to make Christmas ornaments in preparation for the Town Hall’s Tree Lighting Ceremony.  Upcoming plans include a visit to Seabury Woods to help the residents play BINGO and participation in the Town’s Tree Lighting Ceremony in December.