by Clover Carroll
As part of their Season of Caring in November and December—which also collected record amounts of food, clothes and toys for those in need this year—the Western Albemarle High School Leadership classes joined with the National English Honor Society to conduct an extremely successful book drive for Book Baskets, a Charlottesville non-profit organization that provides free books to children who would not otherwise have access to them. Sophomores Montana Frayser and Rachel Schneller, along with freshman Leah Ruth and senior Dalia Flores-Amaya, spearheaded the drive, with support from NEHS presidents, seniors William Plews-Ogan and Katharyn Gadient. The drive collected a whopping 745 new and gently used children’s books—from The Runaway Bunny to Frog and Toad to The Giving Tree. “I love children and I love knowing we helped them have more access to books,” Frayser said.
Book Baskets was founded in 1995 by Mildred Abraham with the goal of encouraging reading through book ownership. They currently collect books from 25 schools and distribute over 11,000 books to children each year. A book plate is placed in the front of each book to allow children to identify the gift book as his or her own. If you wish to donate books, look for the wicker baskets in Albemarle County elementary schools or contact Jenny Greyson at 977-5886 or [email protected]. Monetary donations may be mailed to Book Baskets at 125 Cameron Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
