GREAT FALLS — This month, the Great Falls Public Library Foundation is inviting the community to share handwritten messages of appreciation through a new city-wide engagement effort called the “Love Your Library” Valentine Box project.
Running from February 1 through February 10, the initiative places more than 50 decorated Valentine boxes at businesses and public spaces across Great Falls.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video here:
Residents of all ages are encouraged to write short notes sharing what the Great Falls Public Library means to them and drop them into any participating box.
Library leaders say the project is designed to strengthen connections with the community and gather feedback in a creative, accessible way.
“We need to make sure that we’re reaching every little nook and cranny of this community,” says Sarah Cawley, community engagement coordinator for the Great Falls Public Library. “The library is a cornerstone of what happens within Great Falls, and we want to keep it that way.”
Cawley says the idea came together as a creative way to spark positive interaction with the community while collecting meaningful feedback and stories.
“It came about in a fun kind of like, what if we do this? What if we try something new just to get some positive engagement with the community, some fun stories, some fun memories of people growing up at the Great Falls Public Library,” Cawley says.
According to organizers, interest from local businesses and organizations was immediate. Businesses and organizations across Great Falls volunteered to host Valentine boxes, helping spread the project citywide, with more than 50 locations including coffee shops, downtown businesses, and family-oriented venues like Wheels of Thunder and Flippin Family Fun.
“All of them were ready to go,” Cawley says. “They were so excited when we first approached them.”
The boxes are intentionally placed in familiar, high-traffic locations to make participation easy and welcoming. Organizers say that approach helps bring the library’s outreach beyond its physical building.
At Morning Light Coffee Roasters, one of the participating locations, staff say customers regularly stop to read and fill out the Valentine cards.
“Every time someone comes in and gets a coffee, they stop because it’s right over here by the cream and sugar,” says Jamie Kelley, manager at Morning Light Coffee Roasters. “Everyone’s always kind of curious, and a lot of people have filled it out. It’s almost full.”
Library leaders say many of the messages highlight the library’s multi-generational impact on families in Great Falls.
“Many people who grew up in Great Falls, their grandparents grew up here, and now their children are growing up here,” says Brianne Laurin, director of the Great Falls Public Library Foundation. “So there’s a lot of stories where people remember coming to the library with a parent or grandparent, so it's a really cool thing to celebrate.”
Laurin says those stories highlight the lasting and often quiet impact libraries have on families and communities.
“Libraries are places that we sometimes take for granted,” Laurin says. “They’re always there, they’re free for everybody, and they provide so much information and resources. It’s really fun to hear everybody’s stories.”
After the Valentine Box project concludes on February 10th, the Foundation will collect all submitted cards. The messages will be digitized and transformed into a collective artistic display showcasing the community’s appreciation for the library.
The display will be unveiled during a Love Your Library Celebration on February 17th from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Great Falls Public Library. The event will include a dessert reception, the Valentine display, and an opportunity for community members to meet Amy Dissmeyer, the new Great Falls Public Library director.
Community members can also submit a Valentine message online through the Foundation’s website.
Participating locations are on the map below:
