For Book Lovers, a Happy Ending

At the Toledo Community Library, they take the word community seriously.

Opened a decade ago in a former pharmacy, the library is packed with books, movies and games donated by the community. It’s operated by 22 volunteers. A graduate of the local high school wrote a program to help the library track checkouts.

And when it came time to replace a leaky roof, a library member who was also a grant writer applied to AARP’s Community Challenge program — and was awarded $23,000. It was one of four 2024 grants awarded in the state. Nationwide, AARP awarded 343 projects, worth $3.8 million, to improve public places, housing, transportation and other community features.

For little Toledo, the grant was “amazing,” says Pat Caldwell, president of Friends of Toledo Community Library. Caldwell and her husband, Bill, owned the pharmacy at the location for more than 20 years until industry changes made it harder for an independent outlet to survive.

After closing the pharmacy, she looked around her Western Washington town. “We’ve got a couple of bars, we’ve got a couple of hair salons, we’ve got a hardware store and grocery store,” she says. “What don’t we have?”

A lifelong lover of books, she knew the answer: a library.

The library is open four days a week — 16 hours total. It’s also affiliated with the Timberland Regional Library, which covers five area counties and gives Toledo patrons access to its catalog through an on-site kiosk.

Other AARP grant recipients were the Fairfield Community Church in Fairfield for building upgrades; Casa Latina in Seattle for digital literacy classes for Latino immigrant workers; and the Prison Scholar Fund for digital literacy training.

According to AARP, the other three Community Challenge grants in the state will support community gatherings and various digital literacy efforts. The recipients were:

The Fairfield Community Church received funds to support electrical infrastructure upgrades that will allow it to host community dinners and meetings.

Casa Latina in Seattle received funds to provide digital literacy classes to Latino immigrant workers, aiming to improve their technology skills and better access job opportunities.

The Prison Scholar Fund will provide formerly incarcerated older adults with digital and financial literacy training, employment services and food assistance. The award was for Tacoma and surrounding areas.

Find details on all grants, in Washington and other states, at aarp.org/communitychallenge.

— Chris Adams