For the fourth consecutive year, we held a book drive for local children in need, gathering more than 1,000 titles for preschool to middle school-aged readers.
The effort’s primary benefactor was Family Centers, a Greenwich, CT-based multidisciplinary nonprofit that offers education, health and human services to children, adults and families. While some organizations resell or redistribute the books, Family Centers shares collected books with children and their families here in our region. Books were additionally supplied to Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie and HELP USA.
Collection bins were placed across our network of 30 field offices in New York and Connecticut, where they were quickly filled by agents who in turn encouraged members of their community to do the same.
“Early literacy is one of the essential building blocks to a child’s educational foundation."
Experts say an introduction to books is one of the most important factors influencing a child’s early educational success, yet research has shown that as many as 61 percent of low-income families have none in their household.
“Early literacy is one of the essential building blocks to a child’s educational foundation, and it’s at the very core of our preschools’ curriculum,” said Family Centers’ Vice President Bill Brucker. “Houlihan Lawrence’s book drive allows many of our families to build their own libraries so that the lessons children learn in the classroom can be continued at home.”
