Draped in a grey suit jacket, 15-year-old Musa Andrews stood in front of a room attempting to compete with the roar of children who had filed into rows of plastic chairs neatly arranged in front of him, some standing or sitting on a friend’s lap. His first sold out show.

Briefly shouting over the shouts and laughter of the young audience, Andrews tentatively began to introduce a project that he said took him nearly three years to make — his first feature film. As the production began to flicker into view, he grinned, resting his chin in his palm.

Some employees of the Widener public library, the venue where the screening was held, call Andrews their protege. His mother Kimberly Johnson says Andrews spends nearly every day there. She says he “lives for the library.”

In Strawberry Mansion, the community where the library sits, children in grades K-12 outnumber adults, making up 59.7 percent of the neighborhood’s 22,447 people, according to census data. That’s thousands of children who seek some form of stimulation in the afterschool hours.

But in an area where nearly half of the residents live below the poverty line — 42 percent according to 2013 census data — resources for children can be limited. But at the Widener Public Library, all are welcomed for no charge. The librarian, Mieka Moody, calls it a “safe haven.”

For the employees of the Widener Public Library, children are their specialty. As soon as nearby schools like Ethel Allen sound their final bells, the building fills with youths.

The environment itself within the library is anything but the traditional quiet. It is more reminiscent of a rec center, busting at the seams with children just need a place to be.

“A lot of times it gets very noisy, but we are not going to kick them out because this is the only place they have to come to,” Moody said. “It is worth it when you realize what they deal with and what they don’t have.”

But with a small number of volunteers and limited funds — a measly $200 — the library faces an uphill battle.
For the Library’s after school learning program — called the Literacy Enrichment After-school Program (LEAP) —  Kathy Murray is the only full time instructor. The program can see anywhere from about 20 to 40 kids on a daily basis.

LEAP is offered Monday through Thursday from September to June at all Free Library neighborhood libraries and the Parkway Central Library (1901 Vine St.).

Last Thursday, Murray was working on a mystery novel with one of her students when this Spirit News reporter was asked to be the inspiration behind one of the book’s characters. Murray said that she hopes to have it published. 

“I asked the kids, ‘why you start coming to the library?’” she said. “I said, ‘I want you to write one sentence about why you come,’ and you know what they said? They said, ‘we have to write?’ So we took a different perspective.”

The purpose of the project is to promote literacy among the children. She said that she has noticed the children struggle in this area more than math.

Murray says the after school program in general is meant to help the children with any aspect of their schooling, this often means molding the approach to fit the child.

“It is about seeing the potential within themselves,” she said, beaming

Perfectly juxtaposing LEAP is a second program for the library’s kids that is housed in a small room within the building, brimming with paints and craft supplies, glitter littering the floor.

Maker Jawn, a free-wheeling serving of creativity for the children meets twice a week — once for older children and a second time for children of all ages. The program itself is an outside organization offered in all North Philly Libraries.

Maker mentor Goda Trakumaite said the program is unique in that there is no set objective — it responds to the whims of the students.

She admitted that the undertaking is not without its stresses, though, as she spoke children flew back and forth across the room like track athletes on a sugar high.

“But I also feel like there are just not that many opportunities for kids to just do what they want to and be expressive and make weird stuff,” Trakumaite said with a chuckle.

On May 6, Maker Jawn participants could be seen bopping across a makeshift stage in the center of the library, dressed head to toe in completely one of a kind clothing, some with flames painted on their eyebrows, sparkles strewn across their cheeks.

The group was modeling their own creations, a project the Maker Jawn program began after some students showed an interest in sewing. It is also through this program that Musa Andrews created his movie with many Makers participants serving as the lead roles.

Takumaite said that Andrews is one of the most committed artists she knows, whil he calls Takumaite his best friend.

But despite all the positivity, the lack of funding cripples the library in terms of experiencing any growth themselves.

All public library branches are given a $200 budget for programming for the year, according to Moody. But, some raise additional funds through a group of supporters called a “friends group.” Widener does not have such a group.

At one point Widener’s entire budget was spent after hosting two yoga classes and a balloon event. Moody says it is just not enough to fund the programs that she would like to have at this community resource.

“The more money you have have the more things you can offer to your community,” she said flatly.

Widener, for the most part, does not offer a lot adult programing. Moody said that they simply do not have to resources or space.

“Most [adults] want resume writing help, but we don’t have a lab. There are certain libraries in the city that do have them but we are not one of them,” she said.

With three consistent volunteers and six employees aside from those in Makers, those at Widener have found themselves short staffed.

Still, this building filled with books has managed to alter the lives of children.

For Andrews, the library is a place where he can breathe, the building where he has cultivated his craft. He said it has made a lasting impact. He hopes to return one day as a volunteer.

“If you have a dream and you cannot quite get there; If you are upset or lost or don’t have friends, I ‘ll look out for kids like that,” he said.