Nine members of Assistance League of Northern Virginia chapter recently helped nearly 550 students at a local elementary school select a brand-new book to take home and keep. For our second book fair of this school year, in a program called “Build a Child’s Library,” members worked with the Reading Specialist and other administrators at the school to ensure that an assortment of book titles provided would suit the students’ reading levels and interests. Books were purchased from Scholastic in sufficient quantities to ensure that every student would have a wide variety of suitable books from which to choose. After selecting their books, the students went to the signing tables where they wrote their names under the words “This Book Belongs to” and received a specially designed Bookmark. The seriousness they devoted to this effort showed how much they appreciated having a new book that was theirs forever.
The chapter members always derive great satisfaction and joy when helping students select the perfect book because they can see the smiles on the students’ faces when they find books on topics they like. This event was even more enjoyable because many students were not wearing masks, so their excitement was evident from their broad smiles. The students expressed their gratitude in many ways, including hugs for our volunteers. In addition, the school’s administrators provided lunch as a token of their gratitude.
Noone could say who had the most fun at this event – the students, the school staff, or the members. Perhaps that’s the best outcome anyone could imagine.
