Pay it Forward: Ochoco Elem. library needs books

“So what do you want to read about?” Carolyn Dunaway asked one of her students Wednesday.

It’s a question the long-time librarian asks students nearly every day.

“It’s always been a great job, because I love books, and I like to make sure the kids love to read,” Dunaway said.

But a declining budget over the past few years has hurt the library.

Shelves are bare, kids are running out of new books to read and there aren’t any new books to pick from.

“I would like to replace our football books, because the set we have now is from 1991, and some of them are from 1985,” Dunaway said.

But updating and replacing books is no cheap feat.

“A good library-bound non-fiction book pushes anywhere from $15 to $25 each,” Dunaway explained.

School volunteers heard about the library’s needs and wanted to help.

“My kids both are avid readers and have had trouble finding books in here,” said volunteer Angie Brooks.

That’s why Angie nominated Carolyn for this month’s Pay it Forward.

On behalf of Mid Oregon Credit Union, Co-Energy Propane and NewsChannel 21, we are paying forward $500.

Angie surprised Carolyn during a class Wednesday.

“I didn’t expect this at all — it was a very nice surprise,” Dunaway said.

The $500 is enough for the library to stock lots of new books, and get the kids excited about reading again.

“It’s exciting to put the new books out on the shelf and when they find them they’re excited,” Dunaway said.

“Just that feeling, for the kids to know that somebody cares or a community cares about their library — I mean, that must feel pretty special as well,” Brooks said.

If you’d like to nominate a group or person for our Pay it Forward series, click here to learn more.