Read Across America is celebrated in various ways throughout the community, but this year the young adults from Liberty HS and the children of Asa Packer Elementary School decided on projects that were quite impressive in their scope and ultimate impact.

Liberty HS Cops ‘n’ Kids Club, under the advisement of Liberty’s Jane Prodes, coordinated a Barnes & Noble Book Fair at the Promenade Shops--an event that resulted in members of the community purchasing $10,824.81 worth of merchandise in support of the children at Lincoln Elementary and the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program. This successful undertaking also resulted in Cops ‘n’ Kids receiving a gift card in the amount of $1,623.64 which was used to purchase additional new books for the students at Lincoln. On Wednesday, March 4, 26 Liberty students spent the morning at Lincoln. The book distribution event began with an opening assembly at which each Liberty student introduced themselves to the entire student/staff population at Lincoln. Needless to say, they were given a thunderous reception by the Lincoln students and staff! Little ones always love when the “big kids” come to visit--especially when they come with books.

The Liberty students followed the assembly by going to the individual classrooms to spend time reading to the students in each classroom, helping the elementary students select the “perfect” new book to keep, autographing each book to commemorate the day, and decorating a themed bookmark as another remembrance of this very thoughtful and meaningful event--for both those on the “giving” end and those on the “receiving” end.

The afternoon took Cops ‘n’ Kids to Asa Packer Elementary to acknowledge the fact that their unique Read Across America event resulted in a remarkable donation of more than 7,000 books to the Cops ‘n’ Kids Children’s Literacy Program of the Lehigh Valley. The book drive was coordinated by the school’s Sunshine Club, and their efforts will definitely bring a great deal of sunshine to those on the receiving end of their efforts. The President of Cops ‘n’ Kids, Beverly Bradley, presented a certificate of appreciation to the children of Asa for this amazing outpouring of goodwill and thanked them at an assembly on behalf of the thousands of children in our community who would benefit from their generosity.

Cops ‘n’ Kids has just distributed its 1,287,381 free book, and projects such as these and individuals such as the young adults from Liberty and the children of Asa make this all possible. Events such as these are a reflection of who we are as a community, and we are all beneficiaries of the thoughtfulness and goodwill exemplified by such efforts during this Read Across America celebration and throughout the year.

Hopefully, you can give these two groups credit for these unique undertakings. “I am so very proud of who they are what they mean to the future of our community.”

Contributed by Beverly Bradley