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Dear Friend of Reader To Reader, I hope you enjoy this newsletter about the Reader To Reader Book Project. Our success is very much due to your donations of books, postage money, and most of all your generous spirit. Please forward this newsletter and help us spread the word. As I write this letter I am reflecting back on a trip I took the other morning. It was a short trip, a mere 14 miles from my home, across the Connecticut river and into the blighted urban streets of Holyoke, Massachusetts. It may have been a short trip, but it was like a trip back in time. My old Honda was loaded down with 12 large cartons of books for a school known as the Holyoke Alternative Program. As I cruised the streets looking for the school I realized that the school sits directly across from an old abandoned tenement building; it's windows all boarded up. The year-old school is for grades kindergarten to 8th grade and serves kids suffering from medical disorders. These are special needs kids that need extra support and the city has boldly established a school to try and meet their needs without in being an institutional setting. Some of these kids suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia and are very bright. The Holyoke Alternative Program's principal, Tony Papuga, had contacted me recently about setting up a library for their school and this shipment was our second drop off of books. He led me to a small room, empty but for a round school table, some chairs, and a small two-shelf bookcase against one wall. "This is the library!" he beamed. I was almost disheartened. The room was so barren that it took me a moment to put on a brave face and say what a nice room it will make for a library. Then I realized why he was happy. It was because he could see the potential that this room created. Yes, it was empty now, but it would become a special place where teachers could bring their students, and a place where these students can check out books to bring home. As we surveyed the room, a tall teacher poked his head into the room. With him was young boy, maybe a second or third grader. Tony told the teacher that these were the books for the new library and he grinned and shook my hand. He then turned and told the boy that they were getting a library. In a burst of emotion as genuine as anything I've ever seen the boy squealed with delight and threw both arms around his teacher's legs in a hug. A split second later he turned, scanned the boxes and plucked out a yellow covered Field Guide to Insects. Clutching it he asked, "Can I take this home today?" The answer was yes. It was like something out of a movie. After the teacher and student left, I spoke with Tony about his students. They span all reading levels, from struggling readers to voracious readers. He told me of one boy who loves science fiction. I reached into a box and pulled out five novels that were recently donated to us by famed science fiction writer Allen Steele. "He will eat these up!" Tony said. He told me of another boy who had just read The Hobbit. I reached into another box and pulled out all three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. "We will feed these voracious readers," I grinned. "We will not have a day when they come to this library and all they see are books they have already read." If anyone ever wonders if these kids want to read, do they care about books in this age of television, the answer is a resounding yes! Because I've seen it. These kids just need books. One thing that's certain about a project such as Reader To Reader is that we will never know all the stories about the lives that are changed by the books we send. We just know that out there are kids that are educated and inspired in ways that were not open to them before. I know because I've seen it in the eyes of one little boy. This has been a wonderful year for us. In just over a year we have grown from an embryonic project run out of my garage to a public charity serving over 60 schools across the country. Every day we get emails like the following:
The Reader To Reader Project is making a difference. With every box we ship. As it is the holiday season and the end of the tax year, I ask that you please consider a tax-deductible monetary donation to support Reader To Reader. Your dollars help us provide these books by offsetting the cost of postage and shipping materials. We are a small operation with such a big job to do and your donation makes all the difference. I wish you the happiest of holidays! Sincerely,
David Mazor Please help us with a tax-deductible donation: https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dmazor%40readertoreader.org&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD Here are highlights of just some of our recent book shipments: Drew High School, Drew, MS
West Tallahatchie High School, Webb, MS
Southern University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Navajo Pine High School, Navajo, NM
SV Marshall High School, Lexington, MS
Home Street Elementary, Springfield, MA
Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS
Limestone High School, Limestone, ME
PS 178, Brooklyn, NY
John Essex School, Demopolis, AL
Dillard University, New Orleans, LA
That's just the tip of the iceberg! Special thanks to June Turcotte, Corrina "Corky" Lopez, Amy Johnson, Jennifer So, and Shirley Ostendarp for volunteering their time to collect, organize and box up books. To be added to this newsletter please email dmazor@readertoreader.org |