Dr. Tiffany A. Flowers | #EliminatingBookDeserts Project Summer 2022

“I went around my neighborhood asking for donations of new and/or gently usedbooks to send to Jolly Elementary School. I explained to my neighbors that I am helping toeliminate book deserts and increase literacy in this particular school. I also encouraged them todo their own research on book deserts and try to continue donating books to schools in need. Ireceived several donations and took them to my local post office for delivery. It was a wonderful experience and I was able to educate many of my neighbors on the important need of books inmany schools throughout our state.” -Amber Tilley

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Being from the Clarkston area, I tried my best to find books by African American authors because I think the students would better connect with books featuring characters that look like them.” – Donna Hillsman

“I was able to gather 50 books from colleagues. The most rewarding part of collecting these books was that I was allowed to share the organization’s goal. I sparked an interest in many of them, which helped gather book donations. I was able to collect several books from the elementary age to some high school level books.”

-Maddie Taylor

“I’ve gotten so excited about donating books because every child should have a chance to read no matter how old they are or where they live. I think by donating books, children will be better able to find books they like and share them with their families. They can show their parents what books they picked and have their parents read it with them. I hope by donating books to a children’s library I can change a child’s life.”-Winter O’Brien

“It is so important that all children have access to age-appropriate books so that they can grow in literacy and their understanding of the world and around them. Literacy is one of the most important and essential skills a child learns in their young life.”

-Genevieve Leopold

“For the book drive, I gathered my friends and asked them to donate books. I also asked them to ask their friends. I had a goal of 10 books and managed to collect 15. I also decided to donate some texts in Spanish to be inclusive!” -Laura Gonzalez

“I decided to contribute to #EliminatingBookDeserts by donating three books to Salem Middle School. I chose these books because I enjoyed reading them when I was in middle school, and I hope that at least one student can enjoy them the way I did.”-Aniyah Hancock

“I’m so grateful to be apart of this project, and cannot wait for all of the children that will come across these books on day!”-Courtney Mattina

“This was a very insightful experience getting to help children and teenagers who do not have books to read. I never considered giving children’s books as a donation project in school and college. I would enjoy doing this project again with my future students and teaching them how to help needy children.”-Victoria Brown

“I decided to participate in “The #EliminatingBookDeserts” project because I enjoyed reading and had a lot of books to donate, especially to elementary school students.”

-Alissa Bethea

“What a great project idea to think outside the box. I think this is a wonderful project to help schools in need. For variety I tried to pick at least two non-popular books, having worked in a library myself I know the favorites tend to get multiple copies. I hope this helps their collection and the children love it.”-Christina Accetta“This project is so close to my heart as a lover of books. I think it is so important to cultivate the love for literature in students starting as young as possible. Eliminating book deserts is the perfect name because schools sadly are low on books and have lots of children who claim to hate reading. Providing children with more book options can help broaden children’s horizons and help them discover their inner love for reading.”-Lydia Alexander

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