A couple of months ago, a young woman who was working to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award (the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive) approached me about a book donation.  For her Gold Award project, she had been working for the last year to create an on-site library for the women and children staying with New Beginnings.  Since 1987, New Beginnings for Women & Children has provided homeless women in Tucson the support they need to become financially self-sufficient and to be able to keep their housing and their families secure.  The program offers a family shelter, as well as transitional housing, an aftercare program, and a special children’s program that addresses the emotional and educational needs of children who have lived through the stress of homelessness.

The women in this program don’t typically have the money or transportation to get books for themselves or their children, and this motivated high school student saw an opportunity to make a difference in their lives.  As an avid reader, she knew that having access to books would create opportunities for learning, escape, and pleasure for the women and children at New Beginnings.  From organizing book drives and fundraising efforts to contributing her own birthday money to purchase items, she made a commitment to create something beautiful for those in need in our community.  I was happy to provide her with a donation of children’s books and a gift certificate that she could use at our stores to purchase more popular teen titles that she wasn’t able to get though book drives.  She kept me updated as the shelving was installed, and she (along with her Girl Scout troop) began to fill the shelves with books.  She didn’t do this for something to look good on her resume, or for the bragging rights – she did it because she wanted to help make her world a better place.

Tomorrow night is the grand opening celebration of the New Beginnings Community Center library, and I will proudly attend the evening's festivities, eat cake, and rejoice in the fact that organizations like the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council continue to offer opportunities for our youth to learn the true meaning and joy of community service.