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Kim Parsons works with PitCare to develop a new children ’ s library for the community of Pitcairn .
“ up in Sparta , a small town in Southern Illinois ,” says Pitcairn resident Kim Parsons . “ The local library was always an important part of my youth .” Having fostered a love for reading and books at a young age , she decided to share her passion with the community .
Parsons , who is married with eight children and 12 grandchildren , lived in Monroeville during the 1990s , then moved away for a time and recently returned to Pittsburgh .
Parsons and her husband , Scott , are involved with a local organization called PitCare that formally became a nonprofit organization in 2012 . PitCare focuses on breaking the chains of generational poverty , strengthening families and creating hope for the next generation through education , job training , counseling and spiritual guidance . The organization ’ s main focus is to serve as advocates for those in need and to foster personal relationships through programming that benefits the younger community of Pitcairn .
“ At PitCare , we promote the dignity and worth of every person ,” explains Parsons . “ My husband and I saw the need for a library that would contribute positively to the community ’ s growth .”
One of her co-workers recently received dozens of books from a retired school teacher . “ With that donation , we realized we had the start of a library , and the idea blossomed from there ,” says Parsons .
Pitcairn Library officially opened on Dec . 3 , 2016 , and is temporarily located in PitCare ’ s Second Street building .
Currently , the library has over 1,000 books and counting , with donations from community members and other organizations . All of the library supplies have been purchased by PitCare or donated . The organization received books from a drive sponsored by PNC Bank last fall , as well as several items from the Monroeville Public Library that were duplicates or going to be discarded .
St . Paul ’ s Lutheran Church was recently purchased as a permanent space for the library and Parsons , who has taken on the role as Library Director , is working hard to move all the books into the new space that will be called “ PitCare on Center .”
“ I am far from a librarian by trade ,” laughs Parsons . “ I ’ m working on familiarizing myself with the books we have , going through donated boxes and developing a way to categorize and label things .”
Although still learning the ropes , she is already familiar with running libraryrelated programs . Last summer , she organized and ran a weekly summer storytime that 20 children attended throughout the season .
“ My main goal is to allow Pitcairn kids to develop a love of reading and help them discover that , with reading , you can go on all types of adventures , learn about exotic , foreign places , or even pick up a new skill that will benefit you throughout your life ,” says Parsons .
Even though the Pitcairn Library ’ s early-on attendance has been a bit low , there are high hopes for the new space . “ With the move , I believe we ’ ll see an increase in attendance ,” she notes . “ The Monroeville Library is being very helpful in loaning us books and new material , and will also be offering programs with our location soon . I have no doubt our library will soon meet our eventual goal of creating a place that people can come to get books , hang out , get help and grow .”
For more information about the new Pitcairn Library , email Kim Parsons at kimparsons11 @ yahoo . com . n
Monroeville | Spring 2017 | icmags . com 15