Work Text:
Headcanon:
After Jason's death, Alfred and Lucius team up and make Bruce make a thing to honor his son. He settles on the idea that Jason loved literature and education. And that Jason had a heart for his community. So he starts with the idea of a library for Park Row. Then others start to hear about it, probably because Oliver Queen has a big mouth, as does Dinah Lance. They both donate chunks of cash and assets, then two weeks later a selection of classical Greek, Roman, and Themiscuran reproduction documents show up, care of Diana Prince. Not to be out done, Arthur Curry shows up with a donation of gold and Atlantean fiction. The Daily Planet interviews Bruce about the library.
Then the weird happens, along with her Dear John letter, Harley drains the Joker's accounts into the project and donates land to the library with the ask that an educational outreach and tutoring center is created. She says to Batman it's because his birdie only made it through chem class because of her tutoring him and it was the most normal she felt in a long time. She wants that memory to live in a kind way.
One night a ninja drops an envelope at Batman's feet and flees. Inside is a donation check and investments in Jason's name. Ra's includes a small note of perfunctory condolences.
Other Gothamites hear more and more and the Drakes actually hold a fundraising gala with tasteful catering by a few Park Row restaurants. They say it's because Jason had been kind to Timothy and they know his unconventional insights and light will be missed.
After about six months, Bruce and Lucius look at the accounting and realize they have way too much for just a library and tutoring center. And they know that this could actually be something big. So they drafted up and founded the Jason Todd Wayne Memorial Library and Literacy Center Foundation.
With it, any community which meets certain poverty standards and can gather a dedicated board, find a librarian, find an educator who can meet the tutoring needs of the community, and can secure a place that is accessible and available to all will be granted a sum to match the project needs and an overseeing project manager and accountant. They also help find local contractors and material sources to have the project do the most good for the location.
Each place must have a library with access to technology, media, and open for small scale community events. Also a separate but adjacent tutoring center with flexible hours must be set up with the ability to tutor from illiteracy up to GED and ESL. The last criteria is something Bruce sets to make sure the spirit of his son stays alive, they must have available several copies of Jason's favorite books and matching movies and the now published ranting Jason did in school essays and social media about why the movies sucked.
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Needless to say when Jason comes back and finds that last part, he is pissed his legacy is him being salty about media, but also kind of proud as he finds out that it is one of the few Crime Alley places the Gotham Rogues stay clear of unless they are doing community service.
Also he's super pleased that the first place not in Gotham to finish and open was a rural community in Idaho and that it was a key institution in the dismantling of a cult that had been denying literacy to their women.
It doesn't outnumber Carnegie Libraries, but many argue that the foundation has done just as much good.