Groton library garners grants for children’s programs

The Groton Public Library (GPL) was recently awarded three grants from The Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County. These grants total $15,770 and will be used to subsidize some of GPL’s children’s programs.

One of these grants will be used for LEAP Plus, which will be an extension of GPL’s original Library Elementary Assistance Program (LEAP), a program for third-graders that will now include fourth- and fifth-grade students. The program features weekly presentations and free books monthly.

The purpose of expanding LEAP to what will now be called LEAP Plus is to generate excitement and curiosity about libraries through the grade levels beyond third grade to help create lifetime habits and a love of libraries.

It is the hope of GPL Director Sara Knobel that the variety of programming, free books, healthy snacks and friendly staff, while the students enjoy a safe environment in the library, will be as well-received by the older students as it has been by the third-graders since the program’s inception in 2016.

The Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County has awarded funding for LEAP quite consistently since the program began.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the designated funds for LEAP were not able to be spent in the usual manner, thus the GPL staff got creative and initiated a new program, Leap into Reading, to which they could direct those funds. The money helps to keep third-, fourth- and fifth-graders hooked on reading, improve their literacy, provide them a bridge into summer reading and keep them connected to the library.

Finding great success with Leap into Reading, one of the three grants awarded to GPL will provide additional books for those students, along with grab-and-go crafts, and will sustain this program through fall 2021.

The final grant will support the Read2Grow program, which is just for 2-year-olds. This program is in collaboration with the Groton Elementary School (GES). Erin D’Antonio, literacy instruction coach at GES, and Knobel jointly oversee the program.

Read2Grow is designed to utilize a partnership between GPL and GES to enhance early childhood literacy opportunities for stakeholders within the Groton community while building a positive stance toward lifelong literacy.

The grant funding will provide 2-year-old children with a free book every month for a year, related bimonthly activities and weekly community events at GPL designed to engage and encourage interactions with books and language for the children and their families.

An additional contribution and collaboration between GPL and the school came in the form of shelving and furniture for GPL’s newly renovated children’s section, constructed by the students in Todd Martin’s Buildings and Trades class in the Groton High School STEAM Learning Center.

Students Dakota Ayer, Nickolas Hall, Mason Hill, Caleb Prince and Jayson Staton, Jr. in Martin’s Finish Carpentry course put in many hours of meticulous work to create sturdy and aesthetically pleasing furniture for GPL’s youngest patrons, which, in turn, provided them with a credit-bearing project for their class.

So many people, businesses, clubs, groups and institutions have contributed in so many ways to make GPL the focal point in our community that it is, and so many more have reaped the benefits from all it has to offer.

With renovations almost fully completed, and with the hope that pandemic restrictions will continue to loosen as time goes on, the sky is truly the limit for all that Knobel and her staff have in store for the Groton community at GPL.

Some opportunities in the very near future are The Friends of the Groton Public Library annual meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22. Come and learn about the Friends and how you can get involved in helping GPL to thrive. Email fotgpl@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

The GPL annual meeting, board elections and budget vote will be held in the library April 27 at 7 p.m. and are open to the public.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

In brief:

Summer Concerts at the Legion

If the change to warmer temperatures lately has you longing for summer to arrive, a little something you can mark your calendar for now is the return of the Summer Concert Series season, sponsored by Groton Recreation.

They are scheduled to begin July 9 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Groton American Legion Post 800 on Main Street with the Richman and the Poorboys, playing blues, country, old-time rock and roll and more. This five-piece band features tunes from Johnny Cash and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The rest of the series is as follows: StrayCat Willie & the Strays July 16, Iron Horse July 23, Tink Bennett and Tailor Made July 30, Cruise Control Aug. 6, Donna & The Mystics Aug. 13, 3’s A Crowd Aug. 20 and a final concert Aug. 26 with the Cortland Old Timers Band.

Kritter Kamp is back

Youth ages 9 to 13 who have an interest in, but little or no experience with, animals can register now for 4-H Kritter Kamp, a two-day event to be held at 4-H Acres in Ithaca on the evening of May 21 and all day May 22. This will not be an overnight program this year.

Kritter Kamp participants are provided with an animal (sheep, dairy calf, fiber goat, dog or rabbit) and will work closely with an experienced 4-H member to learn and practice new skills. The program ends with a show and recognition celebration Saturday evening.

Youth will learn about animal behavior, grooming tips, anatomy, health, nutrition and dietary needs, and proper handling and presentation of an animal for show. Participation is limited this year due to COVID-19.

Registration deadline is May 1. A $65 registration fee covers handouts and a binder of resources, a Kritter Kamp T-shirt, water bottle, snacks, a boxed lunch and use of all necessary grooming tools, halters, equipment and animals during the program. Some scholarships are available.

For more information, visit http://ccetompkins.org/4-h-youth/activities-events/kritter-kamp or contact Brenda Carpenter, 4-H Extension educator, at btc6@cornell.edu or (607) 272-2292 ext. 142.

Groton Rural Cemetery

The Groton Rural Cemetery Association will hold its annual meeting for lot owners at 7 p.m. April 27 at the Masonic Building on Main Street. This meeting will be followed by the annual meeting of the Association’s Board of Trustees.