Get Involved

If you would like to get involved in supporting preschool literacy, there are several ways that you can help:

• Donate Books

If you have gently used preschool books to recycle for other children’s benefit, there are brightly colored book drop boxes at Jackson, John Kennedy, Robert Morris, St. Joseph Elementary and St. Paul Lutheran School, at the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union, as well as, at the Richmond Memorial Library. Just leave your donated books at any of these locations, and our volunteers will collect, sort, and distribute them.

• Purchase Books

Please click on the GRO wishlist on alibris.com.  Books from the list can be purchased on-line from Alibris, who will ship the donated books to the Richmond Memorial Library. The library will then distribute the donated books to our GRO Adopted Book Centers.

• Hold a Book Drive

If you have more than a few books to donate, or your organization would like to participate in a meaningful community service activity, our program would welcome your help. We depend on donated books to keep our Adopted Book Centers filled. For more information about conducting a book drive, call the Richmond Memorial Library (585) 343-9550 x1510, or download our “Book Drive Guidelines”.

• Volunteer Your Time

If your group or organization is interested in a more “hands on” project, you could adopt several book centers to service. We need volunteers willing to devote a few hours a week to sort and distribute books on a regular basis to our Adopted Book Center Sites. To find out about our volunteer program and training, contact the Project Coordinator of GRO at the Richmond Memorial Library.

• Explore the Possibilities

Some businesses and organizations have already given us their support. Genesee Lumber and Sherwin Williams have donated materials for the bookshelves and McPherson Orchards donated the collection crates.  The Kiwanis Club of Batavia has purchased bags to transport donated books from the Richmond Memorial Library to the Adopted Book Centers.  The Batavia Jaycees helped kick off the Adopted Book Center Program by sorting and preparing books, and delivering them to the ABC sites.

 

If your business or organization has another idea for a program to enhance preschool literacy, the Community Literacy Coalition would like to hear from you. In other areas, businesses have sponsored gift books to preschoolers during well-child visits to their doctors, gift books at holiday time, and books for expectant mothers, to name a few possibilities. An example of a community where many groups have come together to support reading to young children is Ithaca, NY. (explore familyreading.org)

Working together we can create and sustain a community of  active readers. Join us in this important work and help our children GRO.

Click here for the Book Drive Guidelines.