Pennies for Peace, a program of Central Asia Institute (CAI,) teaches children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny in the United States is virtually worthless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy. To celebrate the spirit of Three Cups of Tea, the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library and the Greentown Public
Library will be holding a Pennies for Peace campaign. If you would like to collect pennies for the campaign, come to any library location to receive a penny collection jar and instructions. At the end of the month, we will count and send the pennies to the Pennies for Peace organization. For additional information, visit the Pennies for Peace website at www.penniesforpeace.org

Join us as we kick off Howard County Reads and our Pennies for Peace campaign with a tea tasting. There will also be other exciting activities for the whole family. Jars will be available at the program so you can start your own Pennies for Peace fund drive through the month of October. Bring your pennies and a picnic supper and join us for an exciting evening.

In the autumn of 1939, Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer attempts to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. He and a fellow mountaineer are captured by allied forces at the outbreak of World War II and imprisoned in a British camp. They manage to escape and find refuge in the sacred land of Tibet in this epic adventure based on a true story. Rated PG-13; 131 minutes.

To register, call or visit the library you wish to attend.

KHCPL Main 765.457.3242
KHCPL Russiaville 765.883.5112
KHCPL South 765.453.4150
Greentown Public Library 765.628.3534

To celebrate the spirit of Three Cups of Tea, you are invited to help make afghans to send to “Afghans for Afghans.” This organization has delivered hand-knitted and crocheted blankets, mittens, socks, hats, sweaters, and vests to men, women, and children in Afghanistan since 2001. To participate, knit or crochet afghan squares that are 8 inches by 8 inches. Please use wool, mohair or alpaca yarn to maximize warmth and do not include any “representational images” such as people, animals, religious or national symbols. Avoid lacy patterns and light colors that will show dirt. It takes 48 squares for each afghan so please make as many as possible. The more afghans we create, the more people who will be kept warm through our efforts. You can drop off finished squares at any library location or come to one of the events and create one there. For more information and for other items you can donate for this cause, see http://www.afghansforafghans.org/.

On Saturday of the trip, we will meet at KHCPL South at 8:00 a.m. and travel by van to Morgan Monroe State Forest. The first day we will issue gear and hike approximately five miles to a campsite for the night. The following day we will hike approximately five miles, then return to KHCPL South about 2:00 p.m. Participants must be at least the age of 12. Cost is $125 per person. At an earlier date, there will be a two hour pre-trip training session to cover topics such as trip planning, equipment, menu planning, and food protection.
For more information contact Peg at pharmon@khcpl.org or 765.457.3242.

Central Asia has a diverse culinary history. Come join us as we sample and discuss cuisine from this area. For more information, please call 765.628.3534.

Islam is the religion of 1.2 billion people worldwide and has an active role in the current changes that face the world today. If you would like to learn more about this way of life, please join us as Dr. Kasem Kasem, Professor of Chemistry at Indiana University Kokomo, leads an informative discussion and presentation about Islam.

Peter Garrett, a young climber, must launch a treacherous and extraordinary rescue effort up K2, the world’s second-highest peak, to save his sister Annie and her summit team. Peter races against time in this high-adrenaline, emotionally charged, action-adventure story. Rated PG-13; 126 minutes.

The first Afghan film to be made since the end of the Taliban regime, director Siddiq Barmak delivers an emotional story he read about while exiled in Pakistan. A 12-year-old Afghan girl and her mother lose their jobs when the Taliban closes the hospital where they work. With father and brother dead, there is no one left to support the family. Without being able to leave the house, the mother is left with nowhere to turn. To protect the two of them, she disguises her daughter as a boy called Osama. The girl embarks on a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries to keep the Taliban from finding out her true identity. Rated PG-13; 82 minutes. (This is a foreign film with English subtitles.)