Go to the Box!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Longtime supporters of reading programs in hundreds of schools and dozens of public libraries across West Michigan, the Grand Rapids Griffins have “branched” out to create their own custom-made Griffins Little Free Libraries.

These hockey-themed, “take a book, share a book” libraries have a bookshelf modeled after a hockey rink’s penalty box along with several Griffins-specific design elements. They were installed last week inside three local community ice rinks: Griff’s IceHouse at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Griff’s IceHouse West in Holland, and Griff’s Georgetown.

A fourth library will be awarded to one lucky family through a contest open to children age 17 and younger living in an eight-county region of West Michigan. Through Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, kids can visit griffinshockey.com/little-libraries with a parent or guardian’s permission to write about their favorite book, why they want a Griffins Little Library for their yard, and why they should be chosen as the winner. Handwritten entries can also be mailed to the Griffins.

Each Griffins Little Free Library is stocked with books about hockey and a wide variety of subjects for both kids and adults. Nine hundred gently used books were donated for this project, from Griffins fans through a book drive held in the spring and through partnerships with six local libraries: the Grand Rapids Public Library, Kent District Library, Gary Byker Library of Hudsonville, Georgetown Township Public Library, Herrick District Library (Holland), and Howard Miller Public Library (Zeeland).

Visitors to the rinks are encouraged to take a book home for free or just enjoy one while they’re at the rink. The public is also invited to share the joy of reading by donating any books that are appropriate for all ages.

The libraries were designed and constructed by Grand Haven resident Mike Fraser, who previously collaborated with the Griffins to build a Van Andel Arena playhouse (2009) and a “Griffins Slapshot Swingset” (2015), both of which were raffled off to benefit the Griffins Youth Foundation. FASTSIGNS of Grand Rapids donated the signage and graphic elements for this library project.

"We're excited to introduce these Griffins Little Free Libraries to our community, and we encourage all who visit these rinks to take the opportunity to enjoy a book or share one with others," said Randy Cleves, the Griffins' senior director of public and community relations. "Our gratitude goes out to those whose hard work and generous donations turned this fun brainstorm into a reality, most notably our builder, Mike [Fraser], the crew at FASTSIGNS, and all of the Griffins fans and local libraries who answered our call and provided an incredible number of books for this project."

Each library offers “dasher board” opportunities to display a company’s logo on one of six panels. Sponsors will also be acknowledged on a sign posted next to the library in each of the three rinks, which combined welcome more than 300,000 people each year for tournaments, leagues, lessons and other programming.

For questions about the Griffins Little Free Libraries, the contest or sponsorships, please call (616) 988-0246.