SwedishAmerican Hospital issued the following announcement on Aug. 29.
SwedishAmerican and Rockford Fire Department are excited to announce it will open a Little Free Library on Rockford Fire Station 3 campus, 888 Marchesano Drive, Rockford. The ambulance themed Little Free Library will be located directly across from SwedishAmerican’s new Riverwest Clinic which is currently under construction and scheduled to open this fall, offering primary care, obstetrics, lab and imaging services. Stenstrom Construction is building the new facility and is donating the Little Free Library.
A ribbon cutting and celebration event will take place on Wednesday, September 12 from 3:30 – 5 PM at Rockford Fire Station 3. Neighborhood children and their families are invited to attend and enjoy after school snacks and a visit from the SwedisAmerican Caring Canines, SwedishAmerican’s mascot SAM and Rockford Fire Department mascot Sparky. All kids will take home a free book and other fun prizes.
“We are thrilled to partner with Rockford Fire and open a Little Free Library that will help promote literacy and provide local residents access to books at all times,” said SwedishAmerican President & CEO Dr. Michael Born. “This new library, and our facility that sits across the street, represents SwedishAmerican’s continued commitment to our entire community.”
Little Free Libraries are an international movement where people place small, weather proof boxes in their communities. The libraries are stocked with books which are free to the public to take and return. The hope is that when someone takes a book, they will return it or replace it with another book. There currently are over 36,000 Little Free Library book exchanges around the world.
“Rockford Fire’s mission is to protect the lives and property of our community, while educating residents about health and life safety,” said Rockford Fire Department Chief Derek Bergsten. “What better way to educate our neighbors than to partner with SwedishAmerican and have free books available for all to utilize.”
SwedishAmerican has several other Little Free Libraries in the area, including:
• SwedishAmerican Hospital Campus, 1401 E. State Street, Rockford (at the corner of East State Street and Williams Parkway)
• SwedishAmerican Regional Cancer Center, 3535 North Bell School Road, Rockford
• Strong Neighborhood House, 1233 Revel Avenue, Rockford
• SwedishAmerican Medical Center/Belvidere, 1625 South State Street, Belvidere
For more information about SwedishAmerican’s Little Free Libraries and how you can donate books, please call the SwedishAmerican Foundation at (779) 696-2496.
Original source can be found here.
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