Local Organizations Receive 4,000 Books

In November, a group of current and former student leaders from Rockland Community College (RCC) banded together to establish the 2011 “Student Leaders’ Book Drive.”  Their goal was straightforward: promote literacy and education in Rockland County.  Their book collection project ended last Thursday with more than 4,000 children and adolescent books donated to five local organizations. 

The results exceeded their 1,000-book goal.  The students more than quadrupled their mark and collected 4,100 books.  The students donated the books to: Rockland 21st Century Collaborative for Children & Youth; Adults Caring for Teens Inc.; Head Start of Rockland County; Martin Luther King Center; and the Theresa Morahan Simmons Center for Children and Families at SUNY Rockland. 

Co-organized by RCC alumni of Orangeburg and of New City, the book drive brought together current RCC students with other alumni attending Georgetown, Columbia, Cornell and Maryland. 

“Working with so many other bright student leaders from the RCC community was a profoundly empowering experience, and I feel so blessed to have participated,” said Angel Torres, RCC’s Student Board of Trustees representative. 

With the book drive now concluded, both Svensson and Mathew expressed gratitude for the volunteers and donations. 

“We gathered for a good cause, organized, and worked with anybody that was interested in helping the next generation succeed,” said Mathew, a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park.  “The number of books raised speaks to the true power of collaboration.”

“Far exceeding our initial goal of 1,000 books, this was an incredible success, and I am so grateful to everyone who supported and contributed to this effort,” stated Svensson, a senior at Georgetown University. 

Svensson and Mathew already have more collaborative efforts planned with RCC students and alumni for the New Year.