"The Library" in Manolo Fortich, Philippines, is a haven for low-income children who previously had no place to simply sit and read. And while it is half a world away, it had its beginnings at a garage sale in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Following the birth of their second child in early 2003, Carlyn and Dave Hooyer decided to take Carlyn's mother, Evelyn, to visit some garage sales. Evelyn was surprised by the number of inexpensive books, and, after seeing that many of them would be useful to her as an elementary school teacher or useful for her students, she decided to take some back home with her to the Philippines.

After Evelyn left, Carlyn and Dave continued to send books, which went into a gazebo area at the back of Evelyn's house. It didn't take long before young people heard about the books and came to read, sometimes all night and into the early morning. Carlyn found it sad that the children and their mothers had nowhere to meet. Then she said to herself, They need a library.

Through a connection at the local LDS branch, the Hooyers recruited a couple of young students as architects and four laborers to help get the project going. At the height of the year-long construction, the crew peaked at 30 employees.


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