aimefisher
05-14-2003, 10:53 AM
Four-year-old Saves Up Funds To Become Friend Of Library
North Stonington -- Andrew Carnegie, the great steel baron, was a powerful figure in the industrial age. Holly Bousquet, a shy 4-year-old, likes picture books about Sesame Street and Clifford, the giant red dog.
Yet, for all their differences, the late industrialist and the little girl share a common passion: the importance of donating some of their hard-earned savings to support public libraries.
For Carnegie, the story began in his boyhood, when he left Dunfermline, Scotland, to pursue and achieve the American dream. For Bousquet, who is the youngest-ever Friend of Wheeler Library, the story also starts from humble childhood beginnings. Her story originates with just a tin can and a simple plan.
Flipping through the pages of a magazine earlier this year, Holly and her father, Tim, came upon a story about a “caring can.” Much like a piggy bank, the can is intended to teach children about saving money by encouraging them to save half their allowance for a long-term goal. Holly, who visits the Wheeler Library three, four or even five times a week, and who enjoys helping the librarians and drawing pictures for the staff, didn't hesitate to tell her father, and mother, Kim, what she cared most about. Holly immediately set her sights on becoming a Friend of the Library, which requires a $10 donation.
“The people at the library are so friendly. Holly just responds to the way they make her feel so special,” said Tim Bousquet, a teacher at Stonington High School. “We just wanted her to get into the habit of going to the library, to get familiar with it and not think of it as a foreign place. Now she loves going there.”
When you're 4, coming up with $10 can certainly seem imposing. But Holly, who receives $2 a week in allowance to perform such chores as sweeping the porch, feeding Sandy, the family's golden retriever, or helping to set the table, quickly rose to the challenge, saving the money in four months.
The first thing Holly did was to find a tin can, wrap it in paper and decorate it with stickers and drawings of some of her favorite animals. Then, she asked her parents if she could do additional work around the house to speed up the process.
“Holly came to us at the end and presented us with (the donation.) We had no idea it was coming; we were blind-sided,” said library director Amy Kennedy. “It was such a wonderful surprise.”
The Friends of the Library will present Holly with a certificate of membership during a special presentation at the next Friends' meeting at 4:30 p.m. May 22 at the library.
Holly, who is a student in the North Stonington Christian Academy pre-school, is shy and taciturn. But her actions speak volumes. Now, she has a new goal. When she isn't spending her money on ice cream and other necessities for 4-year-olds, she is stuffing her caring can to help the Animal Rescue Fund.
North Stonington -- Andrew Carnegie, the great steel baron, was a powerful figure in the industrial age. Holly Bousquet, a shy 4-year-old, likes picture books about Sesame Street and Clifford, the giant red dog.
Yet, for all their differences, the late industrialist and the little girl share a common passion: the importance of donating some of their hard-earned savings to support public libraries.
For Carnegie, the story began in his boyhood, when he left Dunfermline, Scotland, to pursue and achieve the American dream. For Bousquet, who is the youngest-ever Friend of Wheeler Library, the story also starts from humble childhood beginnings. Her story originates with just a tin can and a simple plan.
Flipping through the pages of a magazine earlier this year, Holly and her father, Tim, came upon a story about a “caring can.” Much like a piggy bank, the can is intended to teach children about saving money by encouraging them to save half their allowance for a long-term goal. Holly, who visits the Wheeler Library three, four or even five times a week, and who enjoys helping the librarians and drawing pictures for the staff, didn't hesitate to tell her father, and mother, Kim, what she cared most about. Holly immediately set her sights on becoming a Friend of the Library, which requires a $10 donation.
“The people at the library are so friendly. Holly just responds to the way they make her feel so special,” said Tim Bousquet, a teacher at Stonington High School. “We just wanted her to get into the habit of going to the library, to get familiar with it and not think of it as a foreign place. Now she loves going there.”
When you're 4, coming up with $10 can certainly seem imposing. But Holly, who receives $2 a week in allowance to perform such chores as sweeping the porch, feeding Sandy, the family's golden retriever, or helping to set the table, quickly rose to the challenge, saving the money in four months.
The first thing Holly did was to find a tin can, wrap it in paper and decorate it with stickers and drawings of some of her favorite animals. Then, she asked her parents if she could do additional work around the house to speed up the process.
“Holly came to us at the end and presented us with (the donation.) We had no idea it was coming; we were blind-sided,” said library director Amy Kennedy. “It was such a wonderful surprise.”
The Friends of the Library will present Holly with a certificate of membership during a special presentation at the next Friends' meeting at 4:30 p.m. May 22 at the library.
Holly, who is a student in the North Stonington Christian Academy pre-school, is shy and taciturn. But her actions speak volumes. Now, she has a new goal. When she isn't spending her money on ice cream and other necessities for 4-year-olds, she is stuffing her caring can to help the Animal Rescue Fund.