Ray City Community

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from the Ray City Community Library 🇺🇸📚

Looking back at these “before” photos, it is wild to think about everything our volunteers have tackled together in just one month.

We’ve battled mildew, added latches to the bathroom stalls so patrons could use them safely, accidentally inhaled a bug wing or two 😅, and spent countless hours sweating in what we lovingly call the Ray City Community Sauna.

I lost 12 pounds in August, so apparently the library now offers books and an unofficial weight-loss program. 😂 Please note: membership in the sauna is completely involuntary.

We’ve cleaned up the remnants of vandalism, started turning a completely physical library system into a digital one, and stared at thousands of books while realizing that every donated or successfully saved book will eventually need to be scanned.

That may require a pizza party.

Actually, never mind.

That is definitely going to require a pizza party. 🍕📚

Our volunteers have also become professional investigators of:

“What… is that?”

Sometimes it was rotting food. Sometimes it was animal f***s or urine. Sometimes it was a mysterious specimen in a jar.

And sometimes it was:

“WE KILLED THOSE WASPS. HOW ARE THEY STILL ALIVE?!” 🐝😂

We’ve coordinated furniture and supply donations, hauled trash, moved thousands of books, cleaned rooms that had been unusable, organized materials, repaired what we could, and occasionally stopped early when my WHOOP started warning me that my body temperature was getting too high in our beloved community sauna. 🫠

We’ve looked at ceilings and wondered, “When exactly is that going to fall?”—followed immediately by, “Okay, so how do we put it back up when it does?”

Somewhere in all of this, we also became the proud caretakers of the “Libarary.” When I received my set of keys, the label had “library” spelled wrong, and we have cherished the Libarary ever since. Honestly, nothing confirms the importance of our literacy mission quite like the library misspelling its own name. 😂📖

We’ve learned about restoration, mold prevention, building safety, technology, library systems, grant writing, community programming, and what it may take to connect our little library with a larger system.

We’ve also started asking an important question:

How can this library care for the whole person, not just the reader?

That question inspired the beginning of our personal hygiene dresser, where community members will be able to quietly access basic personal-care items when they need them.

We want to help people expand their minds, but we also want them to feel cared for, respected, and supported as a whole. A library can offer more than books. It can offer dignity, connection, resources, kindness, and a safe place to find help. ❤️

Some days we are administrators. Other days we are janitors, movers, carpenters, restoration workers, safety coordinators, IT support, donation organizers, book processors, event planners, researchers, and amateur detectives.

And somehow, through all of it, we keep showing up.

That is what makes this Labor Day so meaningful.

Everything that has changed happened because people gave something incredibly valuable: their time, labor, skills, products, encouragement, and support.

Our volunteers showed up without being paid simply because they believed this little library—and even our beloved Libarary—was worth saving.

Local businesses and community members donated books, furniture, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, tools, equipment, food for volunteers, and other much-needed items. Others lifted boxes, scrubbed walls, repaired things, prayed for us, encouraged us, or reminded us that this library matters.

Above all, we are thankful to God and Jesus for providing the strength, people, resources, and opportunity to keep moving forward, even when the work has felt overwhelming.

There is still a long way to go, but these photos remind us how far we have already come.

So this Labor Day, we celebrate the people doing the labor:

Our volunteers. Our local businesses. Our product donors. Our community.

This one is for you. ❤️

Happy Labor Day from the Ray City Community Library! 🇺🇸📚

And tomorrow?

Well…

Back to work. 😂💪📚

09/05/2026

09/05/2026

PLEASE SHARE:
To whomever stole our library signs that were paid for by volunteers, please return them. Thank you.

09/05/2026

A Community Statement Regarding the Library Property

Because there has been growing discussion about the land connected to the Ray City Community Library, we want to clearly and respectfully share what we know.

In August, our volunteer team was given approval to take a more active role in improving the library, helping bring the property up to standard, and developing programming that serves people of all ages and from all walks of life. Since then, our volunteers have worked faithfully and successfully toward that mission.

As community involvement continues to grow, we have also been brainstorming ways the library property could support future expansion. Our ideas have included seasonal festivals, a Santa’s Village, young entrepreneur markets, open-mic nights, outdoor movies, plays, public-speaking opportunities, educational programs, additional parking, and many other activities that could benefit the entire community.

We have recently learned that Jesus Loves Me Daycare may be interested in purchasing approximately one acre of the library property. Any decision regarding the sale of city-owned land belongs to the City through its official process. Library volunteers do not have the authority to approve or prevent a sale.

However, we believe it is important for the community to understand that our volunteers have been actively planning ways to use this land for the library’s future growth and for free public programs that would serve the entire community. A sale could limit the scale of what we are able to offer in the future, so we sincerely hope the long-term public potential of the property will be carefully considered before any permanent decision is made.

We would also like to clarify that any personal comments or opinions expressed by an individual councilmember regarding daycares or other organizations do not represent the Ray City Community Library or its volunteer team. Councilwoman Maria has advocated for the library, and we appreciate that support; however, she does not speak on behalf of the library or its volunteers. The library is not represented by the personal opinions of any one councilmember.

The Ray City Community Library remains neutral, welcoming, and committed to serving everyone.

Many of our volunteers have personal connections to childcare providers. I have personally used Jesus Loves Me Daycare, and my child remembers the people there fondly. This discussion is not about attacking a daycare or creating conflict between two valuable community services. It is about ensuring that residents understand the library’s hopes for the property and that any decision is made thoughtfully, transparently, and with the community’s long-term interests in mind.

Regardless of what happens, our volunteers will continue to be grateful for the opportunity to serve. We will continue providing the best programs and services possible with the space and resources entrusted to us even if we are unable to grow at the scale we had hoped.

Our goal is not division. Our goal is responsible stewardship, transparency, and service to the entire community.

— Ray City Community Library Volunteer Team

Edit to add 9/6/26 : I would also like to clarify that Councilwoman Serena Amber Martin is the city official who oversees the library. However, if you have any concerns regarding her actions, opinions, or comments in the future, please direct them to the City of Ray City—not the public library. Our volunteers are not responsible for, nor affiliated with, the personal views or statements of any city official. We do not want a repeat of this.

Best,
Paige Sulloway, Lead Volunteer.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

A little parking favor for our wonderful volunteers: During library hours, or whenever Lewis Martial Arts, Incorporated is in session, please park in our side lot when possible. Since our main parking lot is tiny and shared, this small act of kindness helps keep the closest spaces available for patrons of both the library and Lewis Martial Arts. Thank you for helping make everyone’s visit a little easier!

09/04/2026

Can’t visit us right now?

Follow us until you can!

The more community interest and support we receive, the more volunteers we can reach, and the closer we can get to expanding our library hours.

Our goal:

Monday–Saturday | 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Our friends at the South Georgia Regional Library have 6.3K followers, and we would love to reach that milestone too!

We currently have just over 1K followers and received more than 29K views this month.

Can we reach 6.3K followers this month?

Follow our page, share our posts, and invite your friends. Let’s make longer library hours a reality together!