FHSU University Communications
An outdoor library is something the FHSU Tiger Tots Pre-School staff had wanted for years. So, when Carol Solko-Olliff, member of Hays’ Noon Rotary Club and co-advisor for the FHSU Rotaract Club, offered to partner with Tiger Tots to bring an outdoor library to the Tiger Tots Pre-School play area, Director Sara Stroup said she “absolutely agreed.”
The Rotary Little Library project is a Rotary 5680 District-wide project to bring “little libraries” to communities within the Rotary District.
According to Solko-Olliff, FHSU’s on-campus childcare center was “the perfect site” for FHSU’s Rotaract Club’s Little Library. Rotaract, a new college-age service organization sponsored and advised by the Hays Sunrise Rotary Club and Noon Rotary Club, is committed to community service and giving back to the Hays and FHSU communities.
“Rotaract has also been actively securing hundreds of children’s books to keep it filled for the Tiger Tots children to have books available daily throughout the school year to take home with them and encourage and promote reading,” Solko-Olliff said.
At an outdoor library ribbon cutting in early April, Tiger Tots clapped and cheered when their new Little Library was unveiled.
“Thank you,” they shrieked in unison.
Around 20 people attended the ribbon-cutting, which was held on International Children’s Book Day. After its unveiling, Dr. Paul Adams, dean of the College of Education, took a moment to express his appreciation for the library.
“It is always good to have partnerships between the community and Fort Hays,” he said. “This is an investment in future Tigers and up-and-coming citizens of Hays. Thank you very much for your support.”