Waltham, MA: More than 450 gently used children’s books were donated to Raising A Reader MA by the 161 employees of the Waltham-based A23 Systems. The books, which will be distributed through Raising A Reader MA to families of young children living in vulnerable communities like Chelsea and Lawrence, were collected through a book drive hosted at two of A123 Systems’ Massachusetts campuses. Organized by the company’s employee-led team building committee, the C.H.A.R.G.E. Team (Connect, Humor, Activities, Recommend, Guide, Educate), the book drive “offered an opportunity for the teams at our Waltham and Westborough campuses to come together around a shared project, collecting books for Raising A Reader MA to give to children who need them,” said Test Engineer and C.H.A.R.G.E. Team member Justin Wilson.
“We are so grateful for the generosity of A123 Systems’ employees,” said Raising A Reader MA Executive Director, Donna DiFillippo. “As we help families of young children strengthen the culture of reading time at home, we find the are hungry for more books to have on their bookshelves. The books from A123 Systems will make it possible for these families to continue their efforts to change the course of their children’s lives through reading.”
Throughout the month of August 2012, A123 Systems’ employees combed their family bookshelves for board books, picture books, and story books that could be donated to families across the Commonwealth. Employees were asked to focus on (a) books that were appropriate for young children ages 0-5, (b) picture books without a lot of text, and (c) books in other languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and French. In addition, Raising A Reader MA asked that used books be free of rips or writing, and books with commercial or religious/holiday themes be avoided.
C.H.A.R.G.E. Team member Michelle Carmichael said the process of going through her teenagers’ childhood book collections “reminded her of all the bedtime stories I shared with my kids when they were young.“
C.H.A.R.G.E. Team member and book drive co-organizer Pete Kruger affirmed that the book drive elicited many fond memories for the employees at A123 Systems. “Throughout the month colleagues would swing by the collection bin near my desk. They would rifle through the books and share their own family memories of the books we had collected.”
A123 Systems’ Staff Attorney Kevin Barnett does not have children of his own, but wanted to participate in the book drive. He took the option of donating cash to the drive. “Many of our employees who are single without children, or young professionals, took the option of donating cash to the drive,” said Pete Kruger. Donated funds were then used to buy 124 used children’s books from the Salvation Army Store in Bridgewater, MA.
Again, Justin Wilson of the A123 System’ C.H.A.R.G.E. Team, “The book drive exceeded both our goals for building team morale and increasing access to books for the children and families served by Raising A Reader MA.” At the start of the drive A123 Systems’ C.H.A.R.G.E. Team set a goal of collecting one book for every member of the 161 person staff. They exceeded by this goal by nearly 300%, collecting 451 children’s books, which were accepted by Raising A Reader MA in an informal presentation on September 12, 2012.
The 451 new and gently used books donated will be sorted by Raising A Reader MA volunteers in their central office in Boston, MA. They will then be distributed to their program offices in Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Lawrence, and Lowell. The books will be distributed to families of young children who are experiencing Raising A Reader MA’s early literacy programming through their participation in community based- early education and family service organizations like Head Start and family homeless shelters.
About Raising A Reader MA: Raising A Reader MA is an evidence-based early literacy organization dedicated to closing the academic achievement gap by helping families of young children (newborn – 5) living in vulnerable communities develop, practice, and maintain habits of reading together at home. Their work, which both increases access to books and offers families resources and support for strengthening the culture of reading at home, is driven by 25 years of research that shows the single most significant factor affecting a child’s lifelong success is being regularly read to by their parents or other adult caregivers before starting kindergarten. To learn more about Raising A Reader MA visit www.raisingareaderma.org.
To learn more about hosting a book drive at your business or organization please contact Gretchen Kinder at Raising A Reader MA, [email protected] or 617.292.BOOK (2665).