Golden Bookshelves Reinforce PCSD's Peekskill Basics Initiative

The Peekskill Rotary has teamed up with Hudson River Health Care, Peekskill Basics and the Peekskill City School District to bring the Golden Bookshelf initiative to the Peekskill community. Through the Peekskill Rotary's Reading is Fundamental Committee, the Literacy Lovers program was created to educate, inspire and instill a love of reading in parents and their young children ages birth to Grade 8.

Through the Rotary’s Literacy Lovers program, young readers are invited to select books from the Golden Bookshelves for free. They can read them and return them to various bookshelf locations around the city, or keep them. Each bookshelf is stocked with age appropriate children’s books in both English and Spanish. The Golden Bookshelves have been strategically placed in Peekskill community facilities, with three at Hudson River Health Care, two at Westchester Jewish Family Services and one at Fred's Pantry.

Representatives from Hudson River Health Care, the Peekskill City School District and the Peekskill Rotary all serve on the Peekskill Basics steering committee, and together group members spent months planning, collecting donations and exerting energy to complete these Golden Bookshelves.

“Our goal is to put a book in every child’s hands and a story in every child’s imagination and heart,” said Peekskill Interim Superintendent Dr. Mary Keenan Foster, who is part of the Peekskill Basics team. “It is through literacy that we can and will close the achievement gap.”

The Golden Bookshelf embraces the Peekskill Basics’ tenant number five, which encourages parents of young students to “read and discuss stories.”

I am so excited about the golden bookshelf,” said Peekskill CSD elementary teacher Bridget Holloman, who is also the coordinator of the Peekskill Basics program. “This will give our amazing scholars another opportunity to be exposed to books. I love how the community and the district are working together.”