Ellicottville Library Welcomes Summer Intern Thanks to Bob McCarthy Foundation Grant
Ellicottville Library Welcomes Summer Intern Thanks to Bob McCarthy Foundation Grant
With support from the Bob McCarthy Foundation, Ellicottville Library continues its long-running Summer Reading Program by welcoming a new intern to inspire young readers.
For over thirty years, the Ellicottville Memorial library has conducted a Summer Reading Program for the youth of our community. For the last 14 years, we have been the grateful recipient of grants to allow us to hire a local student (a senior in high school or currently attending college) to serve as our Summer Intern. We are so appreciative of the Bob McCarthy Foundation for providing this funding which not only benefits the children, but also provides valuable, paid work experience for the intern.
This summer we welcome Cameron Kaleta as our Summer Intern. Cameron graduated from ECS in 2024 and is currently attending Kent State University on a pre-med track. She loves working with children and feels as if it is the perfect way to spend a summer interacting with kids. She has developed creative games, activities, crafts and fun challenges as part of the program and we feel fortunate to have her on our staff this summer.
The library develops this program every year because we know that fostering a love of reading equates to a lifelong love of learning. Reading is vital to a child’s development by expanding knowledge, improving vocabulary and communication skills, and enhancing cognitive abilities. Through the use of fun activities and awesome incentives, we motivate children to read over the summer break. The Summer Intern has made a huge difference by allowing us to develop and provide increased programs and activities to the 100+ children that sign up each summer.
The national theme this year is “Color Our World” and each week has its own mini theme. The final week is colorful community in which we encourage kids to think about the town they live in and the importance of the organizations within their community that make a difference. The Bob McCarthy Foundation is certainly an exceptional organization that changes lives and makes our community a better place. On behalf of the Library Board and staff, thank you to all the members of the Bob McCarthy Foundation, we appreciate all you do!