Thousands of Books are Donated to Charity

Thirteen Gateway-Region Goddard Schools partnered with Reach Out and Read, a non-profit organization that advocates for childhood literacy, to collect over 10,511 new and gently used books for children in need.

As part of the collection, preschoolers participated in arts and crafts and a variety of “theme” days that were held. Some of the themes included “Cat and the Hat Day” where the children were encouraged to wear stripes to school and “Wacky Wednesday” where everyone wore mismatched clothing.

Schools are also encouraged to invite special guest readers to their event one of which was Fairfield Police Officer, David Chabay. The children were thrilled to have him visit and read them a story.

“The children were very excited to have Officer Chabay visit our school and read us a Dr. Seuss story. This visit added to their overall excitement for our annual Read Across America week and our school's book drive. The Fairfield Police Department is wonderful with our children and we really appreciate the time they take out to connect with our students throughout the year," says Amy Emann-Evanchick, on-site owner of The Goddard School located in Fairfield.

The book drive is part of the schools’ initiative to promote literacy and teach the children the importance of giving back to the community.