Albert Church Brown Library receives two grants

Brooke and Nash Plaisted during a session of LEGOs at the Albert Church Brown Memorial Library.

The Albert Church Brown Memorial Library has announced that it has received grants from The Simmons Foundation and the Oak Grove School Foundation to support a new program for children ages 6-18. LEGOs Clubs for Kids also received very generous LEGO donations from Tom and Teresa Parent and Katrina Kilduff.

Zareen and Syar Wajid show off their creation.

Funding from the foundations enable the library to develop a LEGO Library that will provide reference and check-out materials for all LEGO users, including adults. Funding also augments the current LEGO collection with items missing from the LEGO donations and providing robotic LEGO mechanisms for the older, more advanced LEGO users. In addition, the library will upgrade the teens’ area of the library.

LEGO clubs are popular in many libraries across the country because they are recognized for improving problem-solving skills, lowering stress levels, improving mood, building confidence, improving IQ and hand-eye coordination and building team skills.

Kerri McGlew and her daughter Kate were instrumental in getting the program off the ground. In addition to Kerri and Kate, other volunteers include Meg Ouellette, Danica Ferris and Linnea Bassett.

First meeting in April with theme of “Things That Go” resulted in imaginative builds like a camper, water slide, ships, among other things. May’s theme was “Food” and resulted in a full breakfast on frying pan, food trucks and boats, milk and cookie drive thru and restaurants. The Club meets monthly on Saturday mornings. The next meeting is Saturdday, June 15, from 10:30 – noon. If you are interested in joining, please contact the library through their website, chinalibrary.org, or by calling 207-968-2926 during business hours, 2-6 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 am-2 pm on Saturdays.

To become a member of the LEGOs Clubs for Kids, one must first obtain a library card and sign a release that the library may publish pictures and/or articles in local papers and social media. A registration QR code is available on the library’s Facebook page. If you are interested in joining, please contact the library through their website, chinalibrary.org, or by calling 207-968-2926 during business hours, 2-6 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., on Saturdays.