CK Public Health staff celebrated the “Back to School” season a little differently this Fall.
The departments’ wellness committee, “Wii at Work”, launched a book drive in hopes to have enough to start a “free little library” for public use.
The organizations Planning & Evaluation Specialist, Rebecca Haskell-Thomas, along with her husband Joe and 3-year-old daughter, Forest, designed, built and decorated the library, which was erected underneath of the pavilion behind the County Building on Grande Ave, one of CK Public Health’s two locations.
Staff believe that the library, built using almost all recycled materials, is in a great location being that children of all ages frequent their own building, for Public Health as well as Employment and Social Services, but the Chatham-Kent Children’s Treatment Centre and Chatham-Kent Children’s Services is located just across the street. In addition, the soccer fields next to the pavilion lead to high traffic throughout the Spring and Summer months.
When it came to donating books, CK Public Health staff answered the call with an overwhelming response and were able to fill other free little libraries across the community, including one located near the departments King Street location in the East end.
The book drive was another one of the organizations “Community CKonnections” efforts. As a staff, they have also hosted a drive for local food banks, collected cleaning items for the Chatham-Kent Women’s Centre “Start Up Baskets”, and completed a Beach Clean Up, collecting trash and debris from Erieau shoreline.
“CK Public Health supports the Chatham-Kent community and its residents through their programs and services every day” said Caress Lee Carpenter, the departments’ Community Outreach and Public Relations Officer, “But these Community CKonnection opportunities allow us to support local causes and organizations on our own time, with our own resources. It’s good for Chatham-Kent, of course, but it’s also good for staff morale and our organization as a whole.”
