Students at South Row Elementary School Raise $1,400 to Buy Books for Lowell General Pediatrics

Students at South Row Elementary School in Chelmsford, MA raised more than $1,400 in donations during a special Book Fair collection drive held earlier this month.

The money was collected through the All for Books program created by Scholastic Book Fairs. The donations, mostly in the form of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars from students, families, and faculty, were used to purchase books for children at Lowell General Pediatrics. As an additional incentive, the classrooms that raised the highest amount of change also received books for their own classrooms.

“The loose change quickly added up, and everyone, including our students, just felt good about helping,” said Kathy Fox, who co-chaired the Book Fair with Jennifer Buckley. “You could see it in their faces. They definitely knew the money they were bringing was for a good cause.”

The 235 books that were chosen by students for the children at Lowell General Pediatrics were on display in the school’s lobby so that the children could see the impact of their generosity. Mrs. Vasquez’s third grade classroom which raised the most money, over $500, also received a shopping spree for their classroom library.

Scholastic will match the All for Books contributions with a donation of books to two non-profit organizations that help families in need: Kids In Need Foundation and Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. Each year, Scholastic donates up to one million books through the program.