BALTIMORE — When Marzell Myers arrived at Gardenville Elementary School last fall, the shelves were mostly bare and the handful of books they had were old. Myers was the first librarian the northeast Baltimore school had in a decade.
“This place was used as a storage, you know, different equipment, different things in here,” Myers says.
Fast forward to Friday, as the school celebrated a new library with fully stocked shelves, thanks to the kindness of strangers.
“I am very happy to see the shelves that are full of books and different genres,” Myers says. “I'm very appreciative of the work that has been done by the volunteers. And I’m just happy.”
The celebration began with fanfare befitting the arrival of celebrities, led by the Frederick Douglass High School marching band and dancers.
Except here, the stars were the books and the students whose hands they were in.
“I was very surprised and I’m very excited to read those books,” says fourth-grade student Marie Louise Padonou. “It means a lot to me because the more you read books, the more you understand words.”
Shaelyn Williams says she likes chapter books and biographies.
“There's like a bunch of new books that I can't wait to read,” she says.
Sarah Caruso of Westminster is the one who heard about the school earlier this year. She rallied a group of friends, mostly retirees like herself, from surrounding counties.
“We all believe if a child reads early and often, they have a great chance of success,” she says. “But how can they have success with no books?”
Their goal was to collect 300 books. By the time they were done, they had 2,000 books.
“We're all just ordinary people who want to make a difference in the lives of children,” Caruso says.
Students from John Carroll high school in Harford County also donated books and helped get the library ready. Even former mayor and University of Baltimore President Kurt Schmoke joined in the effort, bringing Harry Potter books.
And that's not all. They also stocked the shelves of the school's food pantry, so students and families will have food on weekends.
And students at St. Stephen School in Kingsville donated school supplies, enough for each teacher at Gardenville to receive a bag full.
