It was a sold-out crowd Saturday for the Carman Area RCMP Regimental Ball in honour for the Boyne Regional Library expansion project. The event served as the fund raising kick-off for the $2 million campaign.

Expansion Committee Chair Susan Mooney says the turn out was thrilling to see and showed that the community is behind the project.

"Carman is known for its generosity and it just seems to continue on...it's mind-boggling really."

The expansion focuses on two main areas, the first is a larger children's section.

"Our space is very small," explains Mooney, "we...lovingly call it the size of a postage stamp."

A conceptual drawing of the new children's area in the expanded and renovated library

The second area of focus is wheelchair accessibility at the front entrance. Currently, Mooney says people with mobility concerns have to go around the side of the building to the back entrance.

"To quote our new prime minister who said last year 'Well it's 2015,' well it's 2016 and it's time for everybody to have equal access to the front door of a library."

Meantime, when we asked RCMP Staff Sergeant Jo-Anne Prejet why her detachment wanted to help in these efforts, she used the example that good literacy decreases crime.

"We have a relatively low crime (rate) in Carman and part of it is because the community thinks it's so valuable to have good education and support all aspects of their youth, their seniors...healthcare. I think it also helps people understand why some communities have higher crime."

To get fund raising off to a good start Saturday, an anonymous donor came forward and contributed $250,000 towards the expansion project.