PROVIDENCE – Bank Rhode Island’s 15th annual Children’s Book Drive collected a total of 14,279 books in just four weeks after setting an initial goal of collecting 10,000, making it the drive’s most successful year ever.
The bank partnered with Books Are Wings to meet the goal, which was exceeded by more than 4,000 books, the bank announced on April 14.
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“Anytime you reach your goal there is reason to celebrate, but the real reward comes from knowing the impact these books will have on young lives across our state,” said Will Tsonos, bank CEO and president. “We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming generosity of our community and colleagues in taking our support of Books Are Wings to a whole new level. This was a true team effort.”
BankRI initiated its Children’s Book Drive on March 1 to kick off National Reading Month. Throughout the month, all 22 of the bank’s branches collected new and gently used books to benefit Books Are Wings.
The book drive has become one of the largest collections for the Pawtucket-based nonprofit organization, whose unique, youth-centered literacy programs serve students in schools and in the community.
The more than 14,000 books collected will support Books Are Wings programs across Rhode Island. The programs include Books All Year, which provides free books to children in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms, and the Tale Mail program, in which families of children ages 3 to 5 receive a package of two books and craft materials every other month to foster a positive literacy environment at home.
Books collected during last month’s annual drive will also be used in the 20 Book Boost pilot program in Central Falls, an effort that partners with kindergarten classrooms to provide students with 20 books during the school year. Research shows that growing up in a home with at least 20 books is equivalent to three additional years of schooling, according to BankRI.
Books Are Wings Executive Director Jennifer Smith expressed gratitude for BankRI’s assistance in collecting so many books this year.
“I am astounded by the incredible amount of books collected this year and the generosity of the BankRI community,” Smith said. “Our programs rely on donations to ensure we reach as many young readers as possible. The ongoing support from BankRI, its customers and the entire community is vital to our ability to empower young people through books.”
Several BankRI locations stood out in terms of volume of book donations. The bank’s Wakefield branch in South Kingstown led the way with 4,295 books thanks to a donation of more than 2,000 titles collected by CJ Ferguson, 12, and his brother, Gregory, 7, the bank said.
In East Providence, the Highland Avenue branch collected 1,938 books, while Woonsocket collected 1,801. Eight other locations topped 300 books.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
