Childhood favorites passed on to a new generation!

Three cheers for Emmett Dupont, who is donating 700 of the books from her childhood, so we can put them in the hands of the next generation of young readers!

Reader to Reader so greatly appreciates book donations both large and small.

Students Explore Careers at Brightwood Elementary

Reader to Reader was proud to be part of Career Day at Brightwood Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 17. Students in each grade stopped by tables in the main hall to hear from firefighters, police officers, journalists, ambulance drivers, and even a professional motorcyclist.

Thanks to this great yearly event, students have the opportunity to ask questions and explore different careers as part of their school day.

Dennis Quinn, our Director of Mentoring Programs, talked to the students about the work of a non-profit literacy organization.  Sharing our table was Annamarie Golden from the Community Relations office at Baystate Health -- pictured here talking to the 1st grade students about what makes a good neighbor.  Together, we met with kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade kids who listened well and asked smart questions.

Great work, Brightwood!

Woodland Consolidated School enjoys book giveaway!

The students at Woodland Consolidated School in Woodland, Maine enjoyed a book giveaway thanks to Reader to Reader.

Woodland Consolidated is a small school and depends on donations to support these types of activities.

“It was a great day of reading and fun made possible by your generous gift,” librarian Cindy Pirvette said.

Funding for our support of Maine comes from the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation and the F.I.S.H. Foundation, Inc.

5th Graders Try Out Campus Life

35 students from the 5th grade at Memorial Elementary in West Springfield, Massachusetts joined us at Reader to reader 's home at Amherst College to meet their mentors in the Read, Think, Share program and spend the day seeing what life is like on a college campus.

In perfect spring weather and with mentors leading the way, the students toured the campus, full of questions about what happens in each building and how they could go to Amherst College.  A guided tour of the college's natural history museum included a close-up look at dinosaur bones and petrified wood.  But the highlight of the trip appeared to be the opportunity to eat lunch in a college cafeteria -- side by side with college students.

Each student ended the day by choosing a book from our collection to take home for summer reading.

We are so grateful to Memorial for being such a great partner, to the kids for being such wonderful guests, and to our incredible sponsor United Bank for making the program possible!

Duo to lead Beyond el Campo Project in Costa Rica

Amherst College students  Alexandra Barber and Cheyenne Pritchard will be spending their summer in the village of Santa Cruz de Leon Cortes, Costa Rica, as the leaders of the Beyond el Campo Project.

The duo will supervise a group of college students that will be doing a wide variety of literacy projects.

Now in its fifth year, Beyond el Campo established and supports 3-room public library with over 3,000 books, and provides educational programming, including book groups, summer reading camps and after-school study support.

The library serves the immediate community of over 2,000 people. 

Beyond el Campo, a project of Reader to Reader's Springboard Program, seeks to combat the issue of educational inequality in Costa Rica by providing essential tools and educational resources to inspire success. Its goals are to provide a public space that serves as a community center for learning and creative engagement; to equip that space with resources that connect students with their own passions and interests; and to offer educational programs and workshops open to the entire community.

Wishing a fond farewell to Kat Libby

Wishing a fond farewell to Kat Libby as she heads north to her home state of Maine. We are forever grateful for all she has done to help Reader to Reader grow and prosper!

Expanding our reach to the Tuba City Public Library

Last week’s trip to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Nation has expanded the number of public libraries in the area that we serve.  We are pleased to add the Tuba City Public Library in Tuba City, Arizona. The library serves over 800 patrons a day.

The library offers a full range of library services to the residents of Tuba City and outlying areas. Housed in the historic Krenz-Kerley Trading Post, which dates from 1915, the library contains books for all ages, videos and DVDs, magazines, newspapers, computers, online databases, and wireless access. Designated a Family Place library, the library provides story times and a children’s corner with toys and computer games.

We look forward to donating a wide range of books for all ages and interests.