04/17/2025
Our very own Eagle! Way to go Leilani!🦅
Congratulations to Olympic View Elementary School 3rd-grade student Leilonie Perez, who has won this year's Shirlee Lehnis Award from the South Sound Reading Foundation! 📚
Leilonie runs several little free libraries with her parents. Two are on her property, one dedicated to adult books, and the other to kids. In 2024 she, along with her parents, built two at friends’ houses, one at the local cat cafe, and one at a local chiropractor. She and her family also adopted four other abandoned little free libraries in Thurston County. Leilonie keeps the little free libraries well-stocked. She collects donations, cleans, stamps, sorts, and distributes books to all her locations. She even makes and decorates bookmarks to go in the libraries.
We are so proud of you, Leilonie!
The award is named for longtime NTPS teacher and administrator Shirley Lehnis, who served on the Foundation board for many years.