The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce (GCACC) welcomed the Free Little Library to Kelly Park in Crestline with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on June 12.

Ten-year-old Adylina Troiano, a Crestline resident, is the force behind the new Free Little Library, an unlocked, weather-proof box in the park that is open for everyone to take or leave books. “But even if you just take a book, that’s ok,” Troiano emphasized.

Troiano told those assembled for the ceremony that she was inspired when she saw the Free Little Library at the Galion YMCA and thought, “Why don’t we have one of those in Crestline?”

Once the idea took root, Troiano said she first got the go-ahead from her mother and then approached Crestline Village Council for approval. The Crestline Advocate was her next stop to get the newspaper’s help with publicity.

“Then I got a post office box and started raising money to buy the box,” Troiano explained. After exceeding her initial $300 fundraising goal, Troiano said, she was happy to be able to get “an even better box” than the one she had initially selected.

GCACC Executive Director Miranda Jones commended the young citizen for her active role in community improvement.

“To my knowledge, Adylina is one of the youngest non-profit organizers in our county,” Jones said. “We hear about young entrepreneurs opening lemonade stands, and we applaud those endeavors, too. But this is a non-profit just for community enrichment, which is a noteworthy accomplishment that we are delighted to highlight.”

For more about the GCACC, visit their website at galion-crestlinechamber.org, email Jones at [email protected], or call the chamber office at 419-468-7737.

Submitted by the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce.