The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Read to Grow bookmobile brings joy of reading to children
BRANFORD — More children will have access to books thanks to a bookmobile that is rolling throughout the state.
The traveling library is owned by Read to Grow, thanks to an infusion of $70,000 from the Centerville Bank Charitable Foundation, specifically for the purchase of the truck.
“They are a Rhode Island bank that’s coming in Connecticut and they are working in some of our service areas,” said Suzannah Holsenbeck, Read to Grow executive director.
“They heard about our dream to have a bookmobile,” she said. “They said ‘OK, we would like to support you in that.’”
The 91-square-foot traveling library currently has about 2,000 books, including board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books and graphic novels.
“We distribute both new books and very gently used books that are almost in pristine condition,” said Holsenbeck. “We’re always looking for donations from the community of gently used children’s books to add to our inventory.”
The bookmobile launched at the end of September at Thomas W. Mahan Elementary School in Norwich, working with preschool and kindergarten students.
“Our coordinators were there and they read aloud to all of the children waiting to get onto the bookmobile,” Holsenbeck said. “It was a really joyous event.”
Created in 2002, Read to Grow “promotes language skills and literacy for children, beginning at birth, and to support parents as their babies’ first teachers,” according to readtogrow.org.
Holsenbeck said this new venture is going back to the original dream of “making sure we’re reaching all the places that we’ve been unable to reach yet.”
Plans are to join Branford’s Community Dining Room for their Tuesday Family Dinners, later in the month.
“We are so excited for our partners at Read to Grow to have their new bookmobile ready to go,” said Judy Barron, executive director of the Community Dining Room.
“We feed the soul with nutritious food and they feed the soul with imagination and knowledge,” she said.
Speaking with emotion, her voice quavered as she talked about the impact of her organization’s work.
“When you think about the fact that not all children have books of their own at home and not all families are able to share that joy,” she said, “if we can be some small role in providing that access to that joy and that opportunity for children, then our job is done.”
Read to Grow, 53 Schoolground Road, #3, Branford, 203-488-6800; readtogrow@readtogrow.com; www.readtogrow.org; Facebook Read to Grow; Instagram ; Twitter ReadtoGrowCT; Instagram Read to Grow