Wood Buffalo Regional Library’s summer programming focuses on energy and fun
Movie nights? Yoga classes? Prizes? A mascot?
It might sound like the best summer camp ever . . . but it’s actually the sights and sounds of summer at Wood Buffalo Regional Library.
The community library at Fort McMurray, AB, blurs the line between work and play as part of its summer programming. As many of the participants are students, Wood Buffalo Regional Library bridges the gap between school years to promote continued learning while also having fun—lots of it.
The library’s summer offerings began 16 years ago—with one summer program, running two days a week, for kids aged six to 12.
Fast forward to now, and WBRL has diversified and expanded into five programs that run Monday through Saturday, capturing different age demographics and offering enriching, age-suitable learning.
It’s become a key source of development for many participants.
“We find our participants move through the programs as they grow up and often become the very volunteers that run them today,” says Sheri Anthony, WBRL’s community services manager. “In fact, two of our current summer students used to be in the programs every summer.”
WBRL enriches learning in the summer through programs that revolve around reading—it is a library, after all.
After reading each book, participants receive ballots that enter them into a prize draw. Prizes range from toys to board games for younger participants, and paint nights to movie passes for those in the adult programs.
And what about that mascot? Wiley Wordsworth, the lovable worm that calls the library home, has become somewhat of a community superstar for the past six years. Wiley makes appearances at schools and public events to draw attention to the library’s programs.
Enbridge is committed to enriching the communities where we operate. In 2016, we invested more than $4 million in community-strengthening initiatives across Alberta, while our various employee-driven United Way campaigns across the province raised more than $3.5 million.
Enbridge’s recent $5,000 donation to WBRL will sponsor the Go Getters! program, which caters to children up to the age of five.
For the library, a sponsorship means providing supplies, purchasing prizes, and funding program events such as speaker engagements and other activities. WBRL remains in search of sponsors for a few other programs.
The most rewarding part of the job at WBRL? Anthony says her colleagues all feel the same way.
“We get the chance to see the same kids all summer,” she says. “We build close relationships with them and watch as they blossom by making friends, developing social skills, and reading books. That experience is why we, and the patrons, return every year.”
