Christian Appalachian Project volunteers are not only an essential part of our organization, but they also become valued members of the local communities we serve. Savannah, a long-term volunteer at CAP, left her mark on the Appalachian community by putting together a free library for local children.

Savannah worked with local businesses to get a newspaper stand and enlisted the help of her fellow volunteers to decorate it and put her plan into action. Savannah says that she chose the project as a way to connect with the people in her service community,especially those living near the CAP volunteer house.

“Reading was important to me as a child, and still is as an adult. I wanted to encourage reading in a creative way, as well as open the door to communicating and building relationships with those in our neighborhood.”Once the library was decorated and installed, the volunteers filled it with books that they loved reading as children.

The hope is that girls and boys in their community will share their favorite books with each other, inspiring creativity and fellowship.

The library is now located in front of the CAP Operation Sharing building. Nearby schoolchildren often use the CAP grounds as a safe place to play basketball and football, which made it the perfect location to engage with them. Through this library, children now have access to books anytime of the year. They can simply walk up and take or leave a book as they please.