Little Free Library Dedicated at YELLS, Inc

YELLS LFL Feature

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Cobb Collaborative had the honor of dedicating a new Little Free Library at YELLS, Inc. on Franklin Gateway in Marietta.

This LFL was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Marietta. From its beginning in 1930 to the present, the Kiwanis Club of Marietta has been a strong service organization with a special outreach to children in our community. Cobb Collaborative and YELLS, Inc are both grateful to the Kiwanis Club for their sponsorship and support!

Laura Keefe, Founder and Executive Director of YELLS, expressed her gratitude for having this LFL on premises and the children were all excited about it as well, as shown in the photo.

Kiwanis members Lori Herrin and Debbie McCracken attended the event and are seen here with Cobb Collaborative Board Member, Greg Elder, Vice President of Client Services with MUST Ministries.
Brittany Wallace, Manager of External Affairs at Marietta City Schools at Marietta City Schools, and Kim Blass, Chief Impact Officer at Marietta City Schools (L) are pictured here with Laura Keefe, Founder and Executive Director of YELLS and Monica Freeman, MHA – YELLS Director of Programs.
Cobb Collaborative staff L to R: Kelly Mellen, Communications Director, Kaleigh Raulerson, Program Director, Irene Barton, Executive Director, and Leslie Danford, Literacy Coordinator, are pictured with Cobb Collaborative Board Member, Greg Elder.

LFLs are book-sharing boxes remove barriers to book access by being available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with free accessibility. LFLs operate under the “Take One, Leave One” theory which encourages readers to not only take a book, but to leave one for others when there is an ability to do so.

Cobb Collaborative Executive Director, Irene Barton, said, “Any community benefits from the addition of a Little Free Library, but we have an intentional focus on under-resourced neighborhoods because we know that children in low-income households have approximately one book per 300 children versus middle income households who enjoy approximately 13 titles per child. We are grateful to the Kiwanis Club of Marietta for sponsoring this Little Free Library at YELLS, Inc. and are thrilled to know that the children there are excited about reading!”

Click here to find Little Free Libraries in your area. To learn more about LFLs and Cobb Collaborative’s Literacy initiative, please visit our Literacy web page.

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