As part of the mayor’s youth council, I, along with my council mates, put together events for the community, trying to make a difference in our community. Last Saturday, we put together a book drive at our library, as well as an arts and crafts room dedicated to introducing young kids to the power of reading. I was there for 4 hours helping over 30 kids navigate their way through what they thought was a labyrinth of books and shelves. The kids ranged from ages 2-11, and there were some clear challenges from the start. Toddlers, while extremely enthusiastic, can be incoherent at times and make up their head very quickly. Trying to teach a two year old that the picture books were not a personal canvas on which to draw on was a definite challenge. On the flip side, the kids that knew how to read and were old enough to understand certain library rules could be closed off and shy. I really tried to make it a point to find a book that each one would find interesting, because I remember the feeling of being totally invested in my first book. The right book can make a person who hates reading fall in love with it. What surprised me was the amount of kids that were eager to learn about books and that were actively interested in finding new ones. It occurred to me that the reason a lot of these kids did not read a lot or did not enjoy it is because no one took the time to help them learn how to navigate a library, or help them figure out what genres they would enjoy. Seeing the kids find a cozy, sit down, and be fully engrossed in a book that I had helped them find made me feel like I was making a difference. To top it off, many of the parents expressed their gratitude and complimented the event, so I believe that I can call it a success. I hope that many of our other events will go similarly to the way this one did.