~Mr. Engels
Successful Community Book Round-Up
As a Marital Arts Student at the Leadership Academy in Woodruff, Wisconsin, under the leadership of Mr. Gary Engles, I hosted a book drive for area children. Being the Reading Specialist at the Arbor-Vitae Woodruff Elementary School, I am on a continuous quest to provide the best reading services possible to our children.
One of the most painful notions that cross my desk everyday is the fact that our area children have absolutely no literature in the homes. As I sat back and pondered this unbelievable situation I thought…. How can I hold these high expectations for nightly reading when our children have no access to books? My mind began to race as I pictured all of the books in my own house…thinking now what. How can I be a positive avenue for change in our community? Then I had an idea…I would hold a book drive at our elementary school. I emailed teachers and let them know that during the week of December 3rd, students would be asked to bring in a gently used children’s book.
My thinking was that if every student brought in 1 book, with the thinking of “together we can make a difference” that I would have 567 books to share with area Head start programs, childcare programs, hospitals, and other area agencies servicing families who may not have access to books. I send home a note to remind parents, put an announcement on the morning and afternoon notices to students, and placed a blurb in our parent news. As the week of the drive progressed, I was disappointed that we may not reach my goal of 567 books, however, when Friday rolled around, my classroom was overflowing with books, over 1,600 to be exact.
I was so overwhelmed!
All of the students, staff, and parents at AV-W School unbelievably stepped up to the challenge. One Kindergartener’s comment really summed up the purpose of my project,
“Ms. Hardy, I brought in my favorite book to donate. I know that if it was my favorite book, it’ll now be someone else’s.”I still am receiving books today, especially with spring-cleaning☺…there is another book round up in the making…again for the weeks before Christmas. The response of the local agencies and programs was overwhelming. There were tears of joy and bewilderment…I received thank you cards from tiny-tots to teenagers, from parents, teachers, and even from a WI state representative, noting how wonderful the project was. The local newspaper had two different articles on the book drive, and the hope for next year, is that we will exceed our goal and be able to distribute even more books to area children. Happy Reading!
If you’d like information about hosting your own book drive, please email me at jhardy@avw.k12.wi.us and I would be more the happy to help you get started!
No comments:
Post a Comment