The Christman Company officially opened a Little Free Library for residents of the Lonsdale community to expand access to books, inspire readers of all ages and build community.
Representatives of The Christman Company and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Sept. 22.
“We know how important is to have books in the home,” said Marty Gibbs, senior vice president and general manager for The Christman Company’s operations in Knoxville. “The Little Free Library is a way to get books into the hands of children and families in Lonsdale and encourage them to foster a love for reading.”
The project is a part of The Christman Company’s “Be Constructive” program, a company-wide initiative to be an active and significant contributor to the local communities it serves. The program supports a variety of missions through volunteerism, individual and corporate giving, sponsorships, and partnerships.
The Christman Company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council invited the firm’s regions and self-perform units to participate in a special “Tiny Library Build” competition in honor of the company’s Juneteenth celebration, and seven libraries are being installed across the company’s footprint.
“We know books can be cost-prohibitive at times and may not be in the budget,” said Tori Knight, project accountant at The Christman Company and coordinator of the Lonsdale Little Free Library project. “We welcomed the opportunity to increase free book access to more than 280 children in the Lonsdale community. Getting books into the hands of children makes our communities stronger.”
Representatives from The Christman Company and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) officially open the Little Free Library for the Lonsdale community on Sept. 22. The library, built and stocked by The Christman Company, will provide free books for children. From left, Marty Gibbs, senior vice president and general manager, and Tori Knight, project accountant, of The Christman Company; and Ben Bentley, KCDC executive director and CEO, and James Pruitt, Lonsdale Homes property manager, of KCDC.
Little Free Library is a non-profit organization with more than 150,000 registered book-sharing boxes worldwide. Founder Todd H. Bol planted the first Little Free Library in 2009, then turned it into a nonprofit. The organization shares more than 70 million books per year, promoting its core values of “building together, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all.”
About The Christman Company
The Christman Company, founded in 1894, is one of the country’s leading professional construction services firms. The company’s award-winning services include construction management, general contracting, design/build, program management, real estate development, self-perform and millwork services. Christman specializes in a variety of construction markets, including government, higher and K12 education, industrial and power, healthcare, and corporate office. Ranked at No. 87 in the Engineering News-Record ENR 400 top contractors nationally and No. 51 in the ENR 100 Construction Management-at-Risk firms, Christman has more than $4 billion in construction underway managed by 500 professional employees across five states throughout the Southeast U.S., the Midwest, the Southwest U.S., and the Mid-Atlantic. In 2021 Christman formalized its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program by forming a dedicated DEI Council representing diverse members from across the regions we serve. Click this link to read more about our activities and focus on DEI. For more information, visit christmanco.com and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.