A Little Free Library in Tudhope Park is a gift to the community and a way for Lindsay and Cory Harrison to remember their late daughters.
The Orillia couple created and donated what they’ve called the Three Sisters Library, in memory of their daughters, Brynlee, Hope and Briar, who had myelomeningocele spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
“I’m an avid reader and the pandemic has turned Cory into a reader. It’s also something we would have encouraged for our daughters,” Lindsay Harrison said.
The Little Free Library seemed like an appropriate donation, she said, because “it’s so important that all children have access to books.”
Putting the small structure in a public park will only add to the accessibility, she said.
A grand opening for the Little Free Library will take place at Tudhope Park on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. Rain date is Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to bring books to donate. Those who do will have their names entered in a draw for a chance to win a prize.
Mariposa Market is donating cookies for the event.
“I hope that it brings a sense of community,” Harrison said of the Little Free Library, adding she also wants it to be a way to raise awareness about infant loss.
This is the second Little Free Library in memory of the Harrisons’ daughters. One has been installed in Southampton.
Harrison and her husband have also been creating care packages for parents who experience baby loss at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where they have been patients at the maternal fetal medicine program.
The packages include storybooks, blankets, hats and outfits for babies as well as helpful information for parents.
“When you’re given these diagnoses, you don’t always know what to expect,” Harrison said.
The Three Sisters Library that will be unveiled this weekend was designed by Harrison and crafted by her husband.