For the second year, UMass Medical School is participating in the Give A Book Drive, coordinated by the Worcester: the City that Reads Committee. New and gently used books will be collected through May 15 and will be distributed in June to children for summer reading, with additional books going to social agencies, health centers, summer school projects and other organizations that work with children.
The goal of the drive, according to the committee, is to “to place a book into the hands of children who may not be able to afford to purchase a book of their own.” Since it was launched five years ago, the drive has collected more than 95,000 books; they hope to collect 26,000 this year.
In 2011, UMMS was among the largest contributors to the drive, collecting more than 2,500 books. Collection bins are located in the lobbies of the Medical School building on the Worcester campus and the South Street campus in Shrewsbury.
“We are happy to support an initiative that is working to spread literacy across the city, by putting books in the hands of children who ordinarily might not have access to reading material,” said Kola Akindele, manager, community and government relations, for the UMMS Office of Community and Government Relations, which is coordinating the drive at UMMS. “As an institution of higher education, we understand more than most the detrimental effects of illiteracy on society. We are happy to do our small part in ensuring the success of our children and our community.”
For more information, contact Kola Akindele or Glady McRell at 508-856-4400.
Related link on UMassMedNow:
Hundreds of books collected as part of citywide drive
