Beacon Heights Library Gets Second Life

The transformation of a once typical school library into a bright, vibrant center for learning was unveiled last week at Beacon Heights Elementary, thanks to a partnership between the school system, a nonprofit, and a regional employer.

The Heart of America Foundation, an organization that promotes volunteer service and literacy, teamed up with FedEx and Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) to breath new life into the library. FedEx also donated two new books to each individual student at Beacon Heights for their own personal libraries, amounting to about 900 books total.

The renovations took about a month, and the children in the school were involved in the design process, according to Angela Halamandaris, who is the president and co-founder of the Heart of America Foundation.

“This is a true partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools, this wonderful school and FedEx,” Halamandaris said.

The revitalized library features bright green and purple walls, a new reading corner for older students, a reading center for younger students, and more than 200 new books donated by FedEx.

FedEx donated also $25,000 for the upgrades, and many of the company’s employees volunteered their time painting, decorating, and preparing books for distribution to students.

“We just enjoy giving back and volunteering in the communities we work and live in,” said Tyrone Gaskins, who is a senior manager with FedEx and works out of Lorton, VA.

About 15 FedEx employees volunteered the school on Tuesday to put finishing touches on the library, attend the ribbon cutting, and spend time reading with the students.

That the students can see and interact with FedEx employees giving their time energy to the community is a valuable part of the experience, Halamandaris said.

“The role modeling that’s happening is pretty tremendous,” she said.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by several PGCPS employees and officials, including board member Patricia Eubanks (District 4). Eubanks lauded the efforts of the volunteers.

“It’s one thing to say you care, it’s another thing to show you care,” Eubanks said.

This is the third year that FedEx has worked with the Heart of America Foundation to rehab a local school library.

“It’s a pleasure to see kids’ faces and seeing their love of reading,” Gaskins said. “It’s a very rewarding feeling.”