We recently connected with Joey Carbone and have shared our conversation below.
Joey, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
As a young adult, I became very ill and ended up hospitalized for several months. Due to the care of a wonderful team of doctors, nurses and the support of my family and strong community, I was able to heal. I still struggle with my health, but have definitely made strides since my initial illness. As a result of the adversity I faced when I was ill, I decided that I wanted to give back to the community in the same manner that so many had given to me. I felt motivated to make a positive impact in my neighborhood, as well as to leave behind a legacy of good will that would model the types of values that I hope to pass on to my children.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The MP Mini Library Mission started with the idea of spreading the love of reading and knowledge and giving more access to literature. My wife is a teacher who loves to read; she asked me to build a small library for our front yard where neighbors could “take a book, share a book.” After this mini library was installed, I saw that not only my kids loved the novelty of it, but the neighbors who visited really enjoyed it as well. Soon, I was receiving requests from so many people on Facebook to build more mini-libraries. Since I knew it was a great way to get kids more interested in reading, I refused to charge people for time, labor, or materials… I simply asked our neighbors on Facebook to donate any spare wood, nails, roofing shingles, or any other materials that would help build the mini-libraries. Overwhelmed with offers for building materials and even neighbors offering their time and help to volunteer, I knew we started something great in Mount Prospect. I built the first mini library in June of 2019, the MP Mini Library Mission became an official “Not for Profit” organization in January of 2020, and as of July of 2023, we have 89 mini-libraries in Mount Prospect and the surrounding areas with the number of mini-libraries still growing.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As the president of the MP Mini Library Mission, I have found that generosity is the quality that has been the most impactful. The mission would not run without the donations of materials and time from all stakeholders. We take in no profit, and therefore are solely motivated to give back. I have also found that clear communication is essential in order for members of our community to be able to participate in the mission through whatever channel is available. The ability to problem solve has also been imperative. The design process has changed drastically from the first library to the 89th, and I have made so many mistakes! The flexibility to work through challenges and figure out the best ways to solve whatever comes up has been extremely important.
I feel that remembering the “why” behind an initiative is necessary in order to exemplify the generous spirit that drives many non profit organizations. In order to be successful, maintaining open lines of communication, as well as creative problem solving abilities allows for one to create a thriving entity that can truly make a difference. Remembering to take feedback and be willing to change is probably the best advice that I could give to anyone.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Currently, our funding has become a challenge. With the rising cost of wood, paint and many other materials needed, we have rapidly gone through the reserves that we had and are now needing more help financially or with regards to materials. None of the people receive any sort of financial gain, therefore all donations go directly back to the community by helping to provide the items that are used to construct our libraries. Figuring out the best way to fundraise and keep this organization going has been a real challenge. Monetary donations, gift cards, etc would really help us to continue thriving and bringing more literacy to the community.
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Image Credits
Jen Carbone Nancy Bussan
