MEET ANGELA DAGUE ¢â‚¬â€�a Garrison resident working to create nurturing environments for kids through her work as Garrison ¢â‚¬â„¢s public library director.

Angela is the twelfth nomination to the Family Nurturing Council ¢â‚¬â„¢s Faces of Benton County campaign. Angela was nominated by Benton-Iowa Community Partnership for Protecting Children.

¢â‚¬Å“I have so much more I want to do, ¢â‚¬ � Angela said when asked about all she ¢â‚¬â„¢s accomplished since becoming the Garrison Public Library director in 2014.

¢â‚¬Å“If a grant comes across my desk, I try for it. ¢â‚¬ �

In the years following the devastating July 11, 2011 derecho/severe windstorm that destroyed the Garrison library, library services in the town of 360 have been experiencing a revival ¢â‚¬â€�a new library was built and finished in 2013/2014.

Without a public school building in town, the library has become a community hub with Angela at the helm and a supportive, active library board by her side.

¢â‚¬Å“I consider myself an educator, ¢â‚¬ � Angela said. ¢â‚¬Å“Most of my job is working with kids ¢â‚¬ ¦but a lot of it is also promoting the library ¢â‚¬â„¢s resources, networking with others, and getting things in for the community. ¢â‚¬ �

¢â‚¬Å“And if I want something, I ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to find a way to get it for free. ¢â‚¬ �

Angela ¢â‚¬â„¢s after-school programs serve anywhere from 10 to 16 children at a time, she said; most of the participants arrive at the library straight off the school bus ¢â‚¬â€�both rural and town residents.

Grants helped Angela purchase an art cart for her Tinker Time/maker space which takes place on Thursdays.

¢â‚¬Å“They love the art cart ¢â‚¬ ¦I want them to have opportunities that they might not get otherwise. ¢â‚¬ �

The library also hosts a Lego Club every Monday after school and soon will restart Tot Time. With spring just around the corner, the library ¢â‚¬â„¢s youth garden will certainly come to life again ¢â‚¬â€�there are even plans to incorporate a seed-lending library this year.

A new venture Angela is undertaking in 2020 is to bring health and wellness resources to the community. She recently received a $1000 grant to purchase medical, health, and cooking books. And she has plans for health providers to visit the library for short sessions on managing different concerns such as diabetes.

¢â‚¬Å“Everything in here, ¢â‚¬ � Angela said while gesturing around the library ¢â‚¬â„¢s main room, ¢â‚¬Å“is what I envisioned. But there ¢â‚¬â„¢s more out there. More connections to make. ¢â‚¬ �

In a rural town like Garrison, a community library can be valuable infrastructure and Angela puts a lot of effort into creating community through both programming and services.

Thank you, Angela, for being an everyday hero

and a force for good in our community!