Long-time helper memorialized in Prospect library project
PROSPECT — Whenever the Prospect Community Library Board of Directors needed a hand to help with physical tasks, its treasurer, Dolly Hays, called in her son, John Hays.
John Hays died July 20, 2020 at the age of 57, but his name is still making a mark at the library.
The library's director, Bridget Sereday, said the library needed to replace a picnic table this year, and donations started pouring in from the community in memory of the late Hays. In the end, the library got three new picnic tables through donations and the Portersville Prospect Rotary Club.
“We had a significant amount of donations in memory of John Hays,” Sereday said. “When the Rotary heard we were collecting donations, they thought we should have a second one because we were doing more outdoor programming because of COVID.”
The Rotary club helped install the tables in September, and they have since been used for children's programming that otherwise would have been done on the ground.
“People have been very kind and willing to pull up picnic blankets, but now that we have a seating area for folks, it's very nice,” Sereday said. “We were able in September to have our STEAM storytimes take place at the picnic tables, and we had chemical reaction experiments on them, which was easier than on the ground.”
The project cost $3,458, which Sereday said would have been almost impossible for the library to afford had it not been for the Rotary club.
“It was not anywhere in our realm of possibility,” Sereday said.
Jim Butler, president of the Rotary, said the club applied for a matching-funds grant through the district Rotary office, which can allocate $1,500 per year to the club. Having helped with landscaping at the library in the past, Butler said it would be a good target for improvement.
“Every year we go over to the library and do some landscaping around the building, weeding and trimming,” Butler said. “We saw a need at the library and decided to put in for a district grant to help them buy the two tables.”
Dolly Hays said she is thankful the library and the community dedicated a space to her son, and even happier that his memorial picnic table can be used for children's programming.
“It means a lot. He helped do a lot when we needed help,” Dolly Hays said. “And it's well-used, they needed it out there for the kids.”
