Lynn Norris and the Eastern Cowley County Resource Center have raised about $15,000 toward the construction of a new library for Dexter.
Only $35,000 to go.
One nice, rich person or 35,000 $1 donors could help Norris with her project.
“It’s a big challenge,” she said.
The library with a lighthouse theme will be built behind the old historical Shadid storefront in downtown Dexter. The store was the original movie theater for Dexter and served as the town’s only grocery store for many years, according to Norris. A new building will be custom-built behind the historical wall, she said.
The library will be a living tribute to Jennifer Nichole Norris and the town of Dexter. Jennifer was a Dexter High School and Cowley College graduate, and was attending Kansas State University when she was fatally injured in a traffic accident in 1999.
She had been home that weekend to participate in a flurry of family and community events. Lynn Norris had no idea it would be the last weekend the two would share, or the enormous pain Jennifer’s death would initiate. She sat down one day and thought about all the love she had to give.
“I thought, ‘I still love this daughter. Okay. I’m going to start the Resource Center and love other people,” Lynn Norris decided. And, that’s exactly what she’s done.
The Resource Center and its’ board of directors have only two projects – the community library and the Thanksgiving baskets they distribute across Cowley County.
A $1 donation will give you an opportunity to win a hand-crafted quilt by Donita Pettigrew and Judi McGill. The winner will be announced during the Blackdog Festival in Dexter Sept.29. You do not have to be present to win. The quilt will be displayed at area libraries.
Donations on a stone sculpture by Dallas Jordan will also be accepted. The sculpture is valued at $350 and provides a place for inscription of a name, sports number or year graduated. The sculpture may be viewed at Hochkin’s Woodcarving Studio in Burden. The winner of the sculpture will be announced Sept. 22 at the Burden Day Celebration.
Chances or donations may be sent to ECCRC, P.O. Box 40, Dexter, 67038.
