THOMASVILLE- Friday morning, members of the Thomasville Junior Service League arrived at the Weston YMCA with boxes of books and one big goal: promoting local literacy.
The roundup is a weekly event that will take place every Friday of the summer in different locations around town. There are books for children of all ages and reading levels available, and even some books for adults, too.
Thomasville JSL President Katie Rush, said that once the city schools stopped hosting their book donation and feeding programs, they decided to pick up the initiative. To do so, they’ve partnered with the YMCA, who will provide food for the children at these events, in addition to the books.
Upon arrival, the women quickly began setting up the books on different crates and tables, all while the TCCHS children’s basketball camp came to a close. Once the women finished laying out the books, children holding basketballs and participation medals approached the tables.
The children took various picture and chapter books, with one flipping through the pages to show his mother. There was a table set up by the YMCA lined with brown paper bags with snacks and fruit inside, which also intrigued the mini basketball players.
This initiative and partnership aims to aid local literacy and hunger, notably at sites like the YMCA, where children will actively be playing and visiting all summer.
Thomasville JSL philanthropy chair Meme Greitzer said Summer is “a crucial time in the year, as school’s out and there’s not a lot of structured activity throughout.”
She says this event is a good way to help the children read more over the summer, since they get a chance to take books home and will have reading materials around the house.
There are eight weeks total of this program, and the next event will take place Friday, June 9 at Flipper Homes. The JSL is holding their fundraiser for this program on September 23rd, which they have endearingly called their “Book-Scootin Boogie.”