I went out to Briceville, TN, last Thursday when I was in Tennessee and met the wonderful librarian. Briceville is a very depressed area--it was settled by Welsh coal miners and was a real boom town in its day--now it is what you think of when you hear "Appalachia". The mine is still working, but just laid off a bunch more folks.Anyway, the librarian works very hard to help the children keep reading and provides school supplies, etc., that they can just come in and take when they need them.I told her I first heard of Briceville when I was hunting R. D. Thomas' book, Hanes Cymry America (1872)--he had a family connection to that area. There is an old Welsh church there that is being restored--see picture of Knoxville Actors Co-op among the tombstones in the church cemetery.

Anyway, Lynette (the librarian) asks people to send Christmas cards to the children of Briceville--if you send them to her, she puts them in a basket and the children can each open one. If there is a little gift inside, the child keeps it, if there is money inside, it goes in the summer reading program fund. (You don't need to put anything in the card, though.) She has all the cards in notebooks that she showed me--from all over, including Wales. If you have a Welsh or coal mining connection and can include a short note to the children, that is really great.Here's the address:Briceville Public LibraryC. Lynette Seeber, Library DirectorP.O. Box 361Briceville, TN 37710USAJust thought I'd pass this on, as many of you will be doing cards anyway. It is the same address as above--just under library put (Chidren's Christmas Card) so Lynette doesn't open it.I hope everyone is doing well and has a safe holiday season.Thanks,Mona