Covenant Presbyterian Church’s Toy Library at 875 Fremont Street in Lander and the LOR Foundation will be hosting an open house on Sunday, September 15 at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The community is invited to experience the newly constructed playground, tour the Toy Library facilities, and enjoy refreshments provided by Far East Foodie.
According to Gail MacNaughton, the founder of the library, the Toy Library started with a “soft opening” providing toys in 2017 to a few area residents and visitors mostly by word of mouth. However it has grown to providing toys to over 80 Fremont County families and 200 children, according to MacNaughton. She explained that both Lander residents and visitors to Lander take advantage of the huge selection of toys.
MacNaughton said, “The toys are checked out like a regular book library and returned later after use.” She said that families using the Toy Library include parents, grandparents, and guardians. “Generally, families make use of the selection of toys to provide variety, minimize clutter, or test the child’s interests. Others might check out toys for grandchildren visits, while just staying in town for short term visits, or even after moving here while waiting for belongings to arrive.”
MacNaughton added that moms and dads bring their toddlers along and often stay for awhile as the children play with toys and with other children. She noted, “Sometimes these are chance meets while other times parents coordinate and arrange to meet here.”
The LOR Foundation has provided needed funding for two projects: the construction of a storage building and a new playground. Both of these projects will be on display along with the Toy Library itself so that community members may experience this resource firsthand. MacNaughton said, “We would not have been able to provide nearly the range of toys and service to the community if it were not for LOR’s generous grants to the Toy Library.”
Ami Vincent, Lander’s director of LOR, and Ms. MacNaughton will welcome visitors and present information regarding their organizations at 11:45 AM. Finger foods will be served by Alisa Foy and Far East Foodie while visitors tour the facilities. The event is free and open to the public.
