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Deer Creek Elementary girl collects library books for African children

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Reading. Reading to learn, or just for fun. It's something most American children take for granted. For some children around the world, books are in short supply and reading is a privilege. Deer Creek Elementary fifth-grader Lauren Campbell is doing her part to change that.

For the second time in two years, Lauren collected hundreds of books from fellow students to help Libraries of Love - Africa, a nonprofit charity based in Pflugerville that creates libraries in public schools in Uganda. Trudy Marshall, a church friend of Lauren's, is executive director of Libraries of Love, and a librarian at Laurel Mountain Elementary in Round Rock ISD.

Lauren collected 600 books for the charity this year, and 800 last year. Deer Creek students dropped books into a bin at the school office. Lauren promoted the project by distributing posters. She also purchased books at Goodwill and Half Price Books, using her allowance. Deer Creek Assistant Principal Glenn Shanks also made announcements and helped promote Lauren's project.

When Lauren learned about the school children in Uganda who often don't have enough books, she decided to do what she could to help. “I go to school and I love to read,” she said. “Some people who go to school wouldn't have a chance to read.” The books Lauren collected range from preschool to high school reading level. Most are preschool level, however. “A lot of the kids had preschool siblings who outgrew their books,” she said.

Lauren and her brother Tyler picked up the books from the Deer Creek Elementary office from mid-November through December, delivering them to Marshall on Feb. 6. The books left the port of Houston on Feb. 11. They will be shipped to Kenya, then taken overland to Mbale, Uganda.

On June 7, Marshall will take a group of 19 volunteers to Uganda, where they will create two large libraries for approximately 7,000 students. “We actually build bookshelves, arrange the books that were shipped in library order, and decorate the library with posters/signage, flooring and curtains,” she said. “My team will return after two weeks. I'll stay another month to work with students and help them learn the process for checking out books.”

Libraries of Love has established six school libraries in Uganda, serving 9,000 children so far. “I started it after I went sightseeing in Uganda in 2001 and kids were always asking for books,” said Marshall. She started collecting them in 2004 and took her first team to Uganda in 2005.

Lauren will go to Cedar Park Middle School next year, but the book drive might continue at Deer Creek next year, with Shanks' help. Lauren may collect books at her new school as well.

“I'm very proud of her,” said Lauren's mother Barbara. “I'm not surprised though. She's a very good girl.” Barbara said she helped her daughter by copying fliers and transporting books, but “otherwise [Lauren] does everything else.”

For more information on Libraries of Love, visit www.librariesoflove.org.

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