The GFWC Woman’s Club of Plant City held a book fair to help area children learn to love literature.
Every child deserves the chance to own their own book. Thanks to the GFWC Woman’s Club of Plant City teachers and families across the area are hopefully one step closer to making that fundamental right a reality.
Nancy Miller, chair of the education committee for the Woman’s Club, said the group began a book
drive in the area to collect literature for local children to read.
“Teachers don’t have books for children to take home,” Miller said. “We were amazed at the variety we received. We have everything from classics to modern books. We started collecting in January and since then we have more than 1,500 books.”
Teachers, tutors, foster parents and more were all invited to attend the free book fair where they filled a tote bag donated by Gordon Food Services via the Chamber of Commerce with as many books as they desired. Tables were separated by reading level and featured well-known stories like “Winnie the Pooh” and “ Black Beauty” as well as more modern pieces like “Beastly” and “Tangled.”
The theme was “Soar with Reading” and kites were hung from the ceiling to inspire shoppers to remember the sky is the limit when it comes to the benefits of sparking a love for reading in a child.
According to a study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, children four to five years old who are read to three to five times a week are six months ahead of their peers in “reading acumen” and children who are read to daily are a year ahead of others.
The books that were not picked up during the book fair were donated to the Redlands Christian Migrant Association. Miller said their goal was to give as many children in the area as possible their very own book, which she said will hopefully inspire them to become avid readers throughout their lives.
One of the groups in attendance, Achieve Plant City, works with pre-K through fifth grade in the area. Domenica Castillo works for the group and said they make it their mission to always have books available at the program for them to read and take home. She said many of the children they work with don’t have their own books and will often talk about how much the books mean to them.
The group placed a call out to the community in hopes of getting donations. Judy Wise, a member of the Woman’s Club, posted about the drive on the Nextdoor App for Walden Lake. One of the very first donations she received was from Sharon Hargis, who donated more than 100 books to the program.
“We were honestly afraid at the beginning we wouldn’t have enough,” Wise said. “But there was a really wonderful response. Everybody is interested in education, it’s an easy cause to get behind. If we don’t educate our kids, what is the future of our country going to look like?”
Soon, other community members stepped up and more than 500 books had come from Walden Lake alone. While Miller said she wasn’t certain if the group would attempt to do a similar event next year, she definitely was happy they were able to contribute back directly to the community they love.
“We have a heart for giving,” Miller said. “We love Plant City and we want to support Plant City. We do so many other things with our committee and our group for the community because we truly love our town.”
