The Crayon Initiative

The Fond du Lac Public Library is working with The Crayon Initiative throughout May to bring a little joy (and color) into the lives of youth in long-term hospital care. Through May 31, bring your unneeded crayons to the library, and we will send them on to the nonprofit organization The Crayon Initiative. The Library chose this initiative after seeing it mentioned in a newsletter and looking into the story behind the project. 

"Anyone who has ever looked at the Youth Services Department's crayon supply can attest to the many broken pieces in it," said Sarah Davis, Youth Services manager at the Fond du Lac Public Library. "These can be difficult for little hands to work with, so repurposing them through this initiative makes a lot of sense. We know that the end of the school year is a time when many kids and caregivers are cleaning out lockers and backpacks and finding old school supplies to get rid of."

This is the first time the library has worked with The Crayon Initiative, but it may not be the last.

"I would love to see if become an annual event," Davis said. "We know that generosity, kindness, and helping others not only makes us feel good, it helps build community resilience, an important factor in creating sustainable communities. Showing kids in our community how even small choices can have bigger impacts seems like a win-win for everyone."

Donated crayons can be broken or used; you don't even need to remove the paper cover. According to The Crayon Initiative, any paper on crayons will be removed during in the production process; waxy leftover paper will be ground up and donated to be used in fire logs. Any kind of wax-based crayon will be accepted; please do not drop off pastels, candles, twistable crayons (unless the plastic is removed), cubed ink, or waxed play string.

Learn more about The Crayon Initiative at thecrayoninitiative.org. For more information about upcoming events, services, materials, and more available through the Fond du Lac Public Library, visit fdlpl.org.

Author: Ian Stapleton