The Crossfield Municipal Library recently received a donation of CDs, gifted by the Crossfield Baptist Church as a way to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.
“We had asked the library if they had any ideas, and they had brought up these CDs,” said organizer and long-time church member Judy Snyder.
Snyder, who lives in Carstairs but grew up attending Crossfield Baptist Church, where her father was a pastor, said the church raised $1,300 for a set of 70 CD copies of the Adventures in Odyssey – something the local library had expressed interested in as their stock of CDs was somewhat low.
“They requested these specific CDs because of the focus on family,” Snyder said. “This was an easy answer for us, because as a church, we could agree on the importance of focusing on family.”
Adventures in Odyssey, according to its website, is an award-winning audio drama series created for listeners aged eight to 12 years old, though the series can be enjoyed by the whole family. The program centers around a character named Whittaker, who runs an ice cream shop called Whit’s End.
The episodes last about 25 minutes and “bring biblical principles to life through a balance of fun, faith, and imagination,” according to the site.
Snyder said the church made a push to get the CDs as soon as possible so Crossfield families would be able to take advantage of them this summer during road trips or other family events.
Once Snyder told the congregation about the idea, she said it didn’t take long for the fundraised money to start coming in.
“It only took one week to get the money for the CDs,” she said. “That is quite amazing to raise $1,300, considering everything going on with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Snyder said the support was especially amazing because the donation could not have come out of the regular church budget, and instead had to be raised another way.
“The library seems pretty excited about it,” she said.
While the donation was welcomed by the library, Snyder said she has received a few negative comments about donating CDs, considering CDs are a dated technology.
“People told me no one has CD players anymore, or they aren’t even in a lot of new cars,” she said. “My response to those comments is that is what the library requested. Who are we to say we should give them something else if they know this is what people are using?”
Crossfield Municipal Library Manager Laura Blondin-Miller said she is happy to have the new additions on the shelves, as audiobooks are the facility's least filled-out section.
“We actually have had to borrow a floating collection from Marigold Library System to fill the section, now we have more availability,” she said.
Despite the library's scarce supply of audiobooks, Blondin-Miller said the resources are checked out quite often. Since the donation was received, the library has been able to process all 70, and two have already been requested by other libraries.
She added the donations are very helpful to the library.
“They help us generate funds or get books we don't normally purchase or have the budget to purchase,” she said.
Blondin-Miller said the Crossfield Baptist Church always does a fantastic job of supporting the community, and she was pleased the library could be on the receiving end of the church's 90th anniversary fundraising initiative.
“They keep people connected and reach out to people who need it,” she said.
While the official 90th anniversary for Crossfield Baptist Church won’t technically be marked until the end of the year, Snyder said it was important to celebrate the important milestone early by providing this donation when the need first arose.
“We also want to show people that we are still here as a church,” she said. “We care about them, and we care about their families.”
As the church has been a fixture in the community for nearly a century, Snyder said she wanted to remind Crossfield residents the congregation is always looking to take in newcomers.
“The church is always there as a great foundation and to provide stability,” she said.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
