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6/3/2020
On Monday, June 1, volunteers gave out books to children at Ashton Elementary School, including 4-year-old Olivia O’Reilly, above, who arrived at the school with her brother, Connor, and her mother, Jennifer O’Reilly. Cumberland School volunteers were not able to offer their Reading Is Fundamental program in the schools this spring because of coronavirus so instead they created the next best thing, drive-thru book giveaways. (Breeze photos by Charles Lawrence)
CUMBERLAND – Members of the Cumberland School Volunteers took a page out of the creativity playbook Monday to host a drive-thru book distribution.
Director Kristen Sukatos said the Reading is Fundamental program provides students with books to read, just for fun, to grow the love of reading. Students get to keep the books they choose.
The CSV remained committed this year to getting books in teh hands of children this year despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sukatos. While not able to offer the RIF programs they’ve done in the schools for decades, they created the next best thing: drive-thru book distributions. The first was hosted at Garvin Elementary School on May 15.
On Monday, the group visited B.F. Norton Elementary School, Ashton Elementary, and the Cumberland preschool to host similar events.
RIF is offered in all Cumberland elementary schools. Three schools are visited twice each year while the other two are visited once. The program has grown through different grants and donations that has allowed more schools added to the list.
Once schools were closed and the window for reopening was disappearing, CSV members were not able to make their final visits. Then school was canceled for the rest of the year.
“I waited until the stay-at-home order was lifted,” Sukatos said about changing the distribution program. “Myself as the director and the board still wanted to get books out. Everything right now has been on a screen for the kids. We wanted to get the books we have into the hands of the kids. Reading is so important.”
Since schools were closed so suddenly and kids were never allowed back, things were left in the classrooms. At Garvin Elementary, the principal designated May 15 as a curbside pickup day. Sukatos decided to coordinate with Garvin and hold the drive-thru distribution at the same time.
Sukatos worked with principals to get the word out about Monday’s events. She said the principals usually send out emails to the students with weekly updates. She also utilized the PTO Facebook pages and asked parents to spread the work.
Sukatos said that because B.F. Norton had already held a pickup day for classroom items, fewer children showed up for books. She said the group is working on putting another event together at the school to reach more students.
Driving up to Ashton on Monday afternoon, parents were directed around the cul-de-sac at the front entrance. There were signs in each car announcing grade levels and classrooms. From there, they drove around into the second parking lot and toward the back where Sukatos and four board members were waiting with masks.
Sukatos said she was happy to hear comments from the children in the cars on being excited about certain books.
More thought had to go into the bags this year because the students weren’t able to choose their own books. Sukatos said that for the older grades, she included both a fiction and nonfiction book.
“We are still trying to do things for the kids,” she said. “With the amount of time on a screen we wanted to get physical books into the hands of kids. Plus, reading encompasses every curriculum and supports every subject.”
Since the future is uncertain and not knowing if school buildings will be fully operational in the fall, Sukatos said she and the board are looking to develop other distribution plans.
Stephanie Zerva, at left, a Cumberland school volunteer, helps hand out books encouraging students to read now that the Reading is Fundamental program is not being offered in schools.
