What could be better than a good book and a Grandmother’s lap?

The Xi Delta Psi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi has an 18-year-old tradition of making an annual donation to The Franklin Memorial Library. The donation is made to honor any sister who is a grandmother and her newest grandchild that has become a part of the Beta Sigma Phi “family” in the last year. The Beta Sigma year spans from August until May of the following year. This is one of the organizations favorite recurring service projects as most all sisters are grandmothers. Not only is this a wonderful way to honor the grandmother and her new grandchild, but it also assists the library purchasing more material for children. With technology taking the place of so many things in day-to-day life, the sisters of Beta Sigma Phi still feel that human interaction, especially between family members is very important. Sitting in the lap of a grandparent enjoying listening to them read a good book is not only fun but encompasses the loving human touch. It is fun, but sometimes educational as well. It also helps maintain a special closeness and a sense of family, comfort, contentment and normalcy.

In the past years there have been as many as eight grandchildren that joined the Beta Sigma Phi sisterhood family. Usually, a designated amount is donated for each new grandchild. As the years have gone by, that number seems to dwindle a little each year. In the last two years there was only one new grandchild each year. Four years ago, the club made the decision that it would make a minimum donation of $50.00 a year unless in the year more than five grandchildren were born. If more than five, the donation would revert to the designated amount per grandchild. This year was one of those years that only one grandchild joined the Beta Sigma Phi family. The club is proud to honor and congratulate Angie Boatright Williams and her new granddaughter, Charlotte Josephine Michael. Beta Sigma Phi looks forward to carrying on this tradition for many years to come.

The library, its staff and volunteers are truly a vital part of our community. Being able to help them in any way that involves children is a privilege that the sisters take both pride and pleasure in.

The members of the chapter cannot fully express their gratitude to the library staff and volunteers for all that they do for the public. They provide so many things for our community that many may not even be aware of. We urge all citizens to keep an eye on the library’s Facebook page and The Forest-Blade’s announcements of events at the library. Many, but not all, are especially for children such as the Magician Show by Chad Lewis on May 30, 2025. Some events are open to everyone and may even be educational in nature. The library also hosts the Veterans of the Library meeting each week with various civic organizations, including Beta Sigma Phi, providing breakfast for the Veterans. The number of Veterans of the Library has grown tremendously since their inception and now has between 50 to 60 members. Our small but quickly growing town is very fortunate to have such an up to date, well equipped and yet still a community-oriented facility like Franklin Memorial Library for our use.