In 2018, she felt the loss of an aunt. While trying to grieve positively, Lowe began to think of ways to honor her. She said as a child, her aunt would take her to the grocery store to purchase a book instead of a toy.
“From the time I was a small child, literacy has been very important to me because its all about building a strong foundation for children to have success,” Lowe said. “They need that success.”
On Halloween of that year, Lowe met with Erica Woodburn and Emma Sauerland, now co-founders of PBBS, and began the hunt for books to bring to a Christmas tree lighting in Northridge.
They had thousands to bring to the event.
Lowe said Northridge is without a “brick and mortar library,” the closest being in Vandalia or Huber Heights. She said her community is one where residents often walk or ride a bicycle, therefore traveling to a library in another town is inconvenient.
PBBS attends events and partners with the Northridge school district, churches and local businesses to give books to children.
“We always try to go where we know there will be children,” Lowe said. “That way they will have access to books.”
Dwayne Moe nominated Lowe as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem and has known her for over 30 years.
He said she’s always remained humble about the work she’s done for the community as an activist.
“It’s really interesting seeing that light in somebody,” said Moe, a Dayton Daily News employee.
He said as the township has struggled with access to education and resources, Lowe also has worked to mount Little Free Libraries in Northridge.
The Little Free Libraries are a resource provided by community members, placing books in boxes in various locations for people to swap. There are five book-exchange box’s in the area.
The libraries have been vandalized before, but Lowe said PBBS’s mission remains, even after the book-exchange box’s are tampered with.
“We want to be very vigilant about putting books in the hands of the children within the Northridge community,” Lowe said.
Shannon Meadows, the Harrison Township administrator, has worked closely with Lowe and PBBS, specifically through a partnership that took place in June.
“Our biggest partnership to date has been in making one of our former under utilized fire stations available for [PBBS] to store, sort, organize and therefore use as their main headquarters for the distribution of thousands and thousands of books,” Meadows said.
Meadows said that as fast as PBBS grew and how well the nonprofit’s engagement was managed, the commitment to getting books in the hands of children was large.
Credit: Daphne Graeter
Credit: Daphne Graeter
Lowe said between her and the other two founders, Woodburn and Sauerland, moving the books into a larger, shared space was a big dream of theirs.
Donating and receiving books from pre-reading, or toddler age, to young adult, Lowe said it is especially touching to see older children reading to younger children.
“Parents have had tears in their eyes, tears of joy,” Lowe said. “We give out these books and these parents are just so thankful for the opportunity for the children to have books.”
The nonprofit’s inventory of books continues to grow as they settle into the new space at the fire station. She said a sorority recently came to the location to sort books and assist in the transition.
“She’s definitely passionate about what she does for the community,” Moe said.
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