By Linda Harkcom

Published: Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 9:30 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, October 3, 2012

This Saturday, supporters of the Mt. Pleasant Public Library will gather at Frick Park for the seventh annual “Walk in the Park: Take a Lap for the Library.”

The walk is one of several equally important fund raisers the library holds yearly.

“It is a shot in the arm at this time of the year when our budget gets tight as the year is ending up,” said Mary Lou Shick, the library's director. “It helps us continue to give the same level of service consistently to our youth who enjoy the classes and programs we provide.

Such class and programs include Monday lap-sit for babies and care takers, Wednesday preschool story hour, Wednesday tween art and writing class, Tuesday Young adult group and special programs like puppet shows and performances, Shick said,

The funds raised from this event will benefit the Mt. Pleasant Public Library's children and youth programs and activities.

“We have programs available for all ages and we have books for all age groups as well. We also have the computers available so that children can do research,” said Debra Kosisky, the facility's children's librarian.

The event will run from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Drinks and granola bars will be provided to all walkers.

Dogs are welcome to participate in the walk with their owners, as well, as long as leash laws are obeyed.

“We have always had dog walkers and their pets participating. We have recognized the most “dog laps” each year. One year we had people ride laps on their horses in their exercise arena. We counted those laps, too! If you swim we can count those…we want to be as inclusive as possible,” Shick said.

Anywhere from 15 to 25 people participate in the event each year depending on the weather.

In hopes of attracting more participants, the library is also inviting people to donate laps, sets, or workouts they do through out the month of October.

“We are hoping that other families and or businesses will consider being sponsors who have not been before,” Shick said. “We know people have busy schedules. And we want to reach health conscious people with this fundraiser. We are advocating exercising your mind and your body for a well rounded state of healthiness.”

“We usually have about 12 to 15 sponsors who donate $50, $75, or more to the event. It varies yearly especially with the economy being rough. We have had sponsors donate the water and granola bars we give participants the day of the walk also,” Shick said.

Interested walkers should sign-up by stopping in the library or calling the library at 724-547-3850 or they may also sign-up at Frick Park the day of the event.

Interested sponsors and individual walkers are encouraged to pick up sign-up sheets at the library.

Linda Harkcom is a freelance writer.

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