Megan's Library of Love book drive began in 2006, in memory of a student who passed away. The idea to send books to a school in need was created by Megan's classmates at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School as a tribute to her.

The project formed out of the desire to honor memories of Megan, to help our community heal, and to make a difference in the life of others. Students have many memories of Megan, but the most vivid was her love for her family and the diligent help she gave to her classmates. They combined this with her enthusiasm for learning and reading to create the Library of Love.

This project honors Megan's special qualities. In the words of one of her classmates, Megan was, "A good daughter, a good student, a good friend." We are all blessed to have been a part of Megan's life.

Every February, on Megan's birthday, fifth graders at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School collect donations of newly purchased books and send them to a school in need. The "Love books" are truly a gift of love meant to inspire reading and learning. Students earn the money for postage by writing letters to local businesses. The fifth graders also have the responsibility of labeling every book with a Library of Love sticker, sorting the books into categories, and packing all the books for shipping.

In the two years since the Library of Love project began, students have collected over 5000 newly purchased books to send to schools in need. In 2006, 3419 books were sent to St. Bernard's Parish to help rebuild their school library after Hurricane Katrina devastated the community. In 2007, 1613 books were sent to White Mountain School in Alaska, who lost their high school in a fire. Students look forward to sending the gift of reading to other schools in the future.

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