To the editor:

I live in Chassell Township, although not a home owner, reading and the library have been a foundation in my life. As a financially challenged single parent, libraries were always important to my daughter and me.

We live in a financially depressed area, and frankly speaking, the PLDL is basically a poor person’s paradise. While raising my daughter there wasn’t extra money for entertainment, travel, video rentals and expensive toys. From an early age, I read to my daughter. Wherever we lived, my first priority was to get us a library card to open up an entirely wonderful world to us.

Children are able to learn respect and responsibility while spending time in libraries. Time spent there together, reading, checking out books and videos and utilizing the other resources available, gave my daughter the ability to make her dreams come true. She now has an associate degree in business, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, summa cum laude, and is currently working toward her master’s degree in accounting. Access to public libraries helped her achieve these accomplishments.

It is shameful that some residents and township officials think that ending the township tax support to the Portage Lake District Library is more important than providing an impoverished child access to it, and a chance to succeed in life. These officials have decided that another vote on whether or not Chassell remains in the library district must be placed on the November ballot. The withdrawal vote was defeated earlier this month, but now it must be put on the ballot again. Why?

Please vote, yet again, to continue Chassell Township’s participation in the Portage Lake District Library so that more families can take advantage of this resource. Show our kids that we believe in them, and no matter how much or how little money you have, access to the library will continue to be available. Help our children to fulfil their dreams.

JoAnne Suokas

Chassell