Kalmia Garden Study Club donates to Darlington Library
Present at the donation ceremony were (left to right) Diane Langston of KGSC, Jane Proell, Library remodeling project chair, Lois Baldwin, president of Friends of the Darlington County Library System, Tony Watkins, Darlington reference librarian, Gwen Robinson, Darlington Library manager, Ronda Brown of KGSC, Marie Ross, KGSC chair, Cathy Bailey of KGSC, Jimmie Epling, Darlington County Library System director, and Delette Jordan of KGSC. Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
A remodeling project at the Darlington Library received a boost last week when members of the Kalmia Garden Study Club presented library officials with a $1,000 donation. These funds will be used to help complete a Children’s Garden just beside the new children’s library area, a place where kids can get outside to enjoy fresh air and sunshine and learn first-hand about planting, growing, and harvesting.
When completed, the garden will have privacy fencing and benches, along with landscaping features like shrubs and flowers, wooden timbers, and about 17 tons of washed rock gravel. The project’s total estimated cost is just over $6,000, so the Kalmia donation will go a long way in bringing the garden to fruition.
“We are delighted to be able to help out,” said Kalmia Garden Study Club chair Marie Ross. “It’s going to be a wonderful, sunny place for the children to enjoy.”
“The library is a place for kids to explore, to explore with their minds and now to explore outside and learn about the environment,” added Kalmia’s Ronda Brown.
Darlington Library manager Gwen Robinson said the whole library family is excited about working on the garden, and they’ll be gathering ideas from several landscapers about plants they should feature and potential projects for the library’s next generation of green thumb gardeners.
