LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — I want to pass along some nuggets of information that knocked my socks off, and not in a good way.
I went digging into literacy rates in the U.S. and found that for the year 2024 and according to the National Literacy Institute, 54% of adults in our country have a literacy level below a sixth grade level, and 20% are below a fifth grade level.
I went searching to find this perspective after a woman named Mary Lindsey put this on my radar at our Let's Hear It event in Lake Worth Beach at the public library.
After listening to Mary's story, I learned she heads up a small but mighty and passionate team of volunteers working to inspire a love for reading throughout their community and beyond.
Mary's home serves as ground zero for her nonprofit work with Little Free Libraries.
"It's our Little Free Libraries Mother Ship," Mary said. "Our mission hasn't changed in the eight years we've been around. To provide a free library within safe walking distance of every neighbor in Lake Worth."
After eight years, Mary and volunteers with the project have established more than 100 little free libraries in Lake Worth, which they said accomplishes their mission.
Mary's passion is inspired by her past.
"The library, when I was a little girl, it saved my life," Mary said. "It was everything to me. We didn't have much money, so books at my house were an absolute premium. To even ask for one was to pull the food from my younger brothers and sisters mouths and the library, they let you take whatever you want!"
At 8 years old, Ozzie stewards a little free library in his front yard with the help of his family.
"I mean, it's the free little library that got me to read more," Ozzie said.
"I think that reading is alive and well when I look and the coming and going of all the books," Ozzie's mother, Leann, said.
Leann, who's also a high school teacher, is emphatic that this project can inspire more reading and improve literacy.
"The biggest problem to kids not reading is accessibility to books," Leann said. "So when you have kids exchanging books they like with kids that don't have books, you're opening a whole new door for them."
"The more people who hear about this project and approve of it, they might make donations," Mary said. "They might put a little free library in their yard, might want to help in another way. And all of that goes to expand literacy and that's never a bad thing."
Get involved with Little Free Libraries in Lake Worth Beach by clicking here.
