Earlier this week I read this ridiculous story about the theft of the air conditioning unit from the Robbins (IL) Public Library. My first reaction was "Who steals the air conditioning unit from a library? How incredibly lame."
But what bothers me even more about this story is that I have a personal connection to it. Last school year I worked with someone who grew up in Robbins. He always referred to his hometown fondly. He proudly extolled the community's African-American heritage as one of the first primarily black incorporated communities in the country and several other important businesses and organizations for the black community getting their start there.
Most of his extended family still lived there, and the people he wasn't related to by blood felt like family, so while they may not have a lot of money to run their library, this is a community that sticks together, so to hear that their air conditioner was stolen struck me as extra unfair and cruel.
Most of his extended family still lived there, and the people he wasn't related to by blood felt like family, so while they may not have a lot of money to run their library, this is a community that sticks together, so to hear that their air conditioner was stolen struck me as extra unfair and cruel.
If you are interested in helping out, a fundraiser has been started that will go toward replacing the stolen unit, with the remainder going to help this cash-strapped library.
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