ADID Ambassadors Clean Up Pack Memorial Library Courtyard for Earth Day

ADID Ambassadors Clean Up Pack Memorial Library Courtyard

Pack Memorial Library sits at the heart of Downtown Asheville on Haywood Street, serving thousands of residents, students, and visitors every year. But tucked behind the building, the library's courtyard had become inaccessible to the public due to accumulated debris and safety concerns.

Pack Memorial Library sits at the heart of Downtown Asheville on Haywood Street, serving thousands of residents, students, and visitors every year. But tucked behind the building, the library's courtyard had become inaccessible -- blocked by accumulated debris that made it unsafe to enter.

It was ADID Ambassadors who asked if they could help.

During their daily rounds, the team flagged the courtyard as a problem. The space sits adjacent to the library's children's section, meaning the families and kids who use that part of the library had no safe access to the outdoor area. The Ambassadors brought it to the attention of ADID leadership, and a plan came together quickly.

On Earth Day, April 22, the team got to work.

Ambassadors cleared the courtyard, removed debris, and restored the space to a condition where it can safely be used again. The library is a community anchor. It serves people of all backgrounds and income levels, offering free access to books, internet, programming, and public space.

The timing is meaningful in another way too. Pack Memorial Library is set to receive a major new mural this month as part of Paint NC, a statewide initiative by artist Max Dowdle to create 100 murals in 100 counties across North Carolina. More than 3,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor mural work will go up beginning the week of May 11, depicting local plants, animals, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the French Broad River. The community voted on the design, and volunteers are welcome to help paint.

A clean courtyard is a better backdrop for what is coming.

ADID Ambassadors are on the ground in Downtown Asheville every day, handling the work that most people never see. The library cleanup is a good example of what it looks like when a team genuinely cares about the place they work -- not just the blocks they are assigned to, but the broader community around them.