The Santa Clarita Public Library was awarded a 2017 Humanities For All Grant of $3,500 from California Humanities for its “One Story One City” initiative.
“I’m so pleased that we received this grant,” said Karen Cruze, Library Outreach Coordinator and Humanities Lead for the grant in a press release. “It enables us to make our program even better than previous years and expand on our mission to the community.”
The Humanities for All grant supports local-initiated public humanities projects that respond to the needs and interests of Californians, according to the grant’s website. It rewards projects that encourage public participation, promote empathy among people and cultivate democracy.
Santa Clarita’s One Story One City was created in 2015 to “encourage city-wide discussions and engagement across all ages in interests.”
The initiative encourages community members to read one common story and participate in library discussions and programs surrounding the book’s topics.
Previous books have included “In The Heart of the Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick and “Mary Coin” by Marisa Silver.
This year’s selection is “Rise of the Rocket Girls” by Nathalia Holt, which tells the story of the women computers who handled math problems at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from the 1940s to the 1970s.
In addition to reading the novel, residents will be able to attend programs, events and art exhibits, movie series and workshops hosted by the Santa Clarita Public Library.
Special programs include an “Evening with author Nathalia Holt” on March 18 at Golden Valley High School and “JPL as Innovative Workplace: A Panel Discussion and Meet and Greet with JPL employees, past and present” on March 16 at Old Town Newhall Library.
Twenty-four residents, who are 18 years old and older, will have a chance to be entered into a drawing to visited the Pasadena JPL in May.
According to the One Story One City website, children and adults of all ages can participate in this year’s activities to learn more about the rocket girls and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
