To The Escanaba City Council;

I attended the city council meeting that addressed funding of our library. I spoke at the meeting but did not have time to mention the importance of the library to the students I taught in Escanaba. I was a speech and language therapist for students from Escanaba, Gladstone and Rapid River enrolled in the Head Start Program. I used books, music, sign language and puppets to teach speech and language skills to these preschoolers. I had stars hanging from the ceiling of the therapy room in Escanaba. I told my students to reach for the stars. One of those stars is our library, which must be fully funded. It is never easy to make budget decisions, whether in a business, a family, or local government. Our library is an institution we cannot skimp on. Do the right thing for the community and make funding of the library a top priority for all students and adults in the Escanaba area.

Thank you for the work you do on the City Council and making the difficult decisions on behalf of our citizens.

Val Hickner

Escanaba