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Reader To Reader and Barnes & Noble Booksellers Honor William N. DeBerry Elementary School Amherst, MA - October 24, 2003 – Everyone was all smiles at an October 24 ceremony held at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Reader To Reader, Inc. and Barnes & Noble Booksellers honored Springfield’s William N. DeBerry Elementary School for their commitment to strengthening the quality of education and literacy at their school. Earlier this fall Reader To Reader donated over 600 children’s books to William N. DeBerry Elementary and the October 24 ceremony offered the opportunity to provide the needy school with an additional $750 worth of new children’s books courtesy of Reader To Reader donors and a $250 cash award from Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The cash award is part of a $1,000 Barnes & Noble sponsorship that will also see the leading bookseller donate thousands of new books to Reader To Reader. Just prior to the ceremony, children from the William N. DeBerry Elementary School were all smiles as they filled their baskets with a slew of books that they had selected from the Holyoke Barnes & Noble. “DeBerry Elementary principal, Kevin McCaskill, and his teachers are working hard to improve the literacy rate at their school, noted Reader To Reader executive director, David Mazor. “They face a lot of challenges. The very first one is poverty. 89% of DeBerry’s students receive free or reduced-price lunch, as compared to the state average of 29%. These kids grow up in homes that don’t have extra money for discretionary book purchases, and it makes their school library all the more critical. I’m so pleased that principal McCaskill has been aggressive in getting books into his students’ hands. When I first spoke with principal McCaskill about Reader to Reader’s desire to aid his school, we both agreed that we had the same goal--to see his students go to college!” In accepting the award principal Kevin McCaskill welcomed the donations with open arms. “On behalf of the William N. DeBerry Elementary School, I would like to thank you and your organization, Reader To Reader, for the donation of books and the Barnes & Noble gift certificate for our scholars at DeBerry,” McCaskill said. “It is truly an outstanding and wonderful occurrence when children benefit from the generosity of others. We welcome your gifts with open arms and hearts; for we know that these materials will lead our scholars to read on a more regular basis because they now are armed with books that they can take home or access in school. “The Reader to Reader Program is a wonderful concept that can capture the imagination of children through reading. The Internet is great, but there is nothing compares to reading a good book. I hope this program expands to help even more children know the enjoyment of reading. “Our many thanks and may God continue to bless you and your organization.” Dignitaries attending the ceremony included United States Congressman Richard Neal, Candice Lopes from the Springfield Mayor’s Office, Diane Cohen and Dr. Mary Elizabeth Beech from the Springfield Superintendent of Schools Office, and Ken Lopez, president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, which represents over 500 rare book dealers across the U.S. During the ceremony Congressman Richard Neal enthusiastically praised Reader To Reader’s work and said, “I’m so delighted to be here for such a positive announcement as this!” Neal went on to speak passionately about “the new horizons that are explored each time you read.” Reader To Reader, Inc. is a public charity that brings books free of charge to under-resourced school libraries across the U.S. The charity is teaming with Barnes & Noble Booksellers to bring thousands of books and special needs money to Springfield, Massachusetts’ public schools. Formed in 2002 to help needy schools across the country, Reader To Reader, Inc., has already donated thousands of books to Springfield's public schools over the past year, helping them fill critical resource needs for books on science, history, art, literature, popular fiction, and a host of other subjects. Under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers Sponsorship, Barnes & Noble Booksellers will donate thousands of new books to Reader To Reader. In addition, Barnes & Noble Booksellers will provide $1,000 to be used by Massachusetts’ schools for special book purchases. Reader To Reader, Inc. will distribute the monies to schools that have shown exceptional commitment to strengthening the quality of education and literacy at their school.
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