Oakland Library outdoor Cassidy’s Corner reading area dedicated

OAKLAND — Storytime is part of most preschool and kindergartener’s day, but it’s made even sweeter when a book is read outside in the sun, surrounded by flowers, friends and topped off with jelly donuts.

“I am kind when I share my ice cream with my friend,” kindergartener William Mitchell told his 14 classmates from Atwood Primary School who were at the Oakland Public Library on Friday, Sept. 20, to learn about spreakind kindness as part of the opening of Cassidy’s Corner, an outdoor reading space created by the ShineOnCass Foundation.
Kindergarten teacher Maggie Solis read aloud from “The Jelly Donut Difference,” by Maria Dismondy, while her students and a group of homeschool and preschool-age children gathered around the new stone platform in the corner of the building outside of the library’s children’s room.

Kids discussed ways they could be nice to their family and friends, and shared how they can help others in need. The group sampled jelly doughnuts and created ShineOnCass Kindness Matters bookmarks, leaving messages of how they will shine tucked away in children’s books for readers to find at the library.
“It’s a special day when we can shine Cassidy’s light by sharing her message of kindness and her love for reading with young children,” Solis told the children after leading a discussion about the book’s characters and asking how each student there can show kindness today.
Cassidy’s Corner was developed to support the library’s summer reading program and give local families a place to read outside throughout the year. Monica Charette, Cassidy’s mother and executive director of the foundation, said the project was a labor of love for the community that has supported their family the last five years.
“Cassidy’s love for reading was nurtured at a very young age at the Oakland Library,” Charette said. “Seeing children enjoy books and share their ideas about spreading kindness in the world fills our hearts. This is how Cassidy’s Light shines on.”

The project also includes plans for a free-standing Little Lending Library in the community, where families can borrow books after library hours. Funding for the project came from the ShineOnCass Foundation, with support from Waterville Area Women’s Club and an “Employee Ideas that Matter” program at Sappi in Skowhegan. Additional in-kind support was provided by Get Etched of Portland, which created the ShineOnCass garden marker, and stonework by Somerset Stone and Stove in Oakland.
The idea for Cassidy’s Corner came from Oakland Librarian Sarah Roy, who had known Cassidy since she was a toddler attending summer reading programs 20 years ago. Cassidy was a longtime member of the library and devoted community volunteer. She lost her life at 17 in a hayride accident in 2014. The ShineOnCass Foundation was created by her family to celebrate her life and legacy.
For more information visit www.shineoncass.org or email shineoncass@gmail.org.

TOP PHOTO:Atwood Primary School kindergarten teacher Maggie Solis reads and leads a discussion about kindness at the dedication of “Cassidy’s Corner” a new, outdoor reading space developed in memory of Cassidy Charette at Oakland Public Library. (Submitted photo)