South Florida high school student behind many Little Free Libraries in parks
You may have seen little painted boxes full of books at some South Florida parks. They are Little Free Libraries, and a high school student is behind many of them.
Incoming high school senior Mason Furman is behind one in Miami-Dade and 10 in Broward County.
"I wanted to help my community out and increase the literacy around here," he said.
Furman volunteers twice a week to help children learn to read. That's when he discovered how many students couldn't do so.
"Seeing the literacy rate decrease in my community really scared me," Furman said.
Lack of literacy led to a mission
So, he set out on a mission to help every child he could learn how to read. He started The Furman Literacy Project, fundraising, applying for grants and building relationships to build these Little Free Libraries in his community.
"I restock them, clean them, fix anything if there is an issue," Furman said. "If there is vandalism, I'll reach out to the city."
Furman did not stop at the parks: He also placed a library at the Broward County Juvenile Detention Center.
"I've created a connection there and we've been able to increase the literacy rate there, too," Furman said.
As he gets ready to apply for college, Furman said he hopes to continue building more libraries for years to come.
"I want to be able to see future generations go to college and be successful," he said.
He said the Furman Literacy Project has given out around 10,000 books to the community. Furman gets donations from local libraries and his high school, NSU University School in Davie.
If you would like to help, email him to find out how to donate.
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