In July, Aaron Freas of Lampeter officially opened a free community book station with the help of his parents, Al and Janene Freas. The small library, named Linus and Lucy's Little Free Library, is located at the Freases' home on Glebe Lane near Rockvale Road, and it is one of many ways 26-year-old Aaron connects with his local community.

Many people in the Lampeter and Quarryville areas know Aaron for his infectious positivity and love for meeting people in the community. Aaron uses a wheelchair and requires an augmentative speaking device to communicate, but it doesn't stop him from handing out pins with his original artwork on them and shaking hands with everyone he meets.

"Everybody has their own abilities to make a difference in the world," Al said. "For some people, making that difference takes more effort. But when Aaron makes an impact, it's a lasting one." In June, Al retired after teaching mathematics at George A. Smith Middle School in Solanco School District, but he said he and Aaron still have plenty of friends and know familiar faces in the Quarryville community.

After Al retired from teaching, he began to brainstorm with Aaron and Janene to find a project to complete over the summer. Aaron and Janene had been toying with the idea of setting up a community book station for many years, and the family decided it was finally time to take on the endeavor. Once Al, Janene and Aaron purchased an outdoor bookcase, they had local utility companies check the property to ensure its safe installation, and Linus and Lucy's Little Free Library officially opened on July 5. Aaron adorned the library with decorations, and he frequently scours yard sales and thrift stores for new books to stock it with.

Linus and Lucy's Little Free Library is officially registered through nonprofit organization Little Free Library's network of book stations. Aaron can request new releases directly from publishers through the organization, and he recently received two copies of a new book selected by Good Morning America (GMA) for its monthly book club. Every month, GMA distributes its book club pick to 150 Little Free Library locations across the country, and Aaron was one of four recipients chosen in Pennsylvania.

Aaron rotates new books through the library every one to two weeks to offer a diverse range of genres to visitors, from children's picture books to adult fiction. The Freas family enjoys visiting other Little Free Library affiliates for inspiration and ideas to make the station as helpful as possible. During the summer, Aaron stocked the library with packets of seeds for gardeners, and he has included other items such as tea bags, bookmarks and Halloween goodie bags. "Aaron loves going out and checking the library to see what books people have taken or dropped off," Al said. "He's really happy to see people take one, because he knows they'll enjoy it."

Aaron regularly posts new arrivals at Linus and Lucy's Little Free Library on his Instagram page, @aaronfreas.

To view the location of the library and other Little Free Library affiliates, visit https://littlefreelibrary.org/map.