Little community library with a twist
The community of Legacy in the southeast has two new little libraries that were put up at the beginning of October and instead of books, one is filled with games.
Alexandra Velosa is the president of the Calgary Legacy Community Association who says the idea was sparked by a Facebook post with someone trying to trade puzzles.
"We all love puzzles and games, but sometimes we get bored of the same games and the same puzzles," said Velosa. "So we were thinking about giving this library the opportunity for people to the exchange puzzles and board games."
Velosa pitched the idea to the Federation of Calgary Communities and received a grant for close to $2,500 to pay for two little libraries and some games and books to go in them.
"We also got the kids in the community engaged to paint the libraries," said Velosa. "Because we wanted everyone to be part of it and participate and some of the ideas on how to decorate them came actually from them."
'I REALLY LIKE LEGO'
Valerie Herrera is 10 years old and was tasked with making the sides of the Play Little Library colourful, so she used Lego.
"I put it on the sides because the sides were pretty empty and my mom wanted to color on them but I wanted to put something fun and I put Lego because I really like Lego," she said.
Herrera says it took two days to paint and mount the Lego onto the little library and she's proud of how it looks because her friends and other kids in the community are playing with the games and the Lego.
"You just bring games (or) take a game which is pretty fun," said Herrera. "Yeah, it actually turned out really cool."
The Multicultural Little Library is a few blocks away and has greetings from a number of languages painted on the sides. This one shares books and recipes. Velosa moved to Canada from Colombia 17 years ago and says the community is diverse with people from many different backgrounds and places. She wanted to give everyone the opportunity to share a little bit of their culture.
"The idea is that it holds books in different languages and it also works as a space for people to exchange recipes," said Velosa. "When you want to learn about a culture, there is no way no better way than by their cooking so we are promoting recipe exchanging through the multicultural library."
Angie Locking is at the park with her four-year-old daughter Ezira and is sharing one of her favourite recipes.
"I know how to make those Vietnamese lettuce wrap rolls and you know people are always amazed when I teach them," said Locking. "But it's really so easy they just don't know how to work with the materials is all."
The two new little libraries are getting attention from other communities that are looking to set them up in their neighbourhoods.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.