By SARAH BINGAMAN SCHWARTZ - Sun Newspapers
(Created: Friday, March 23, 2007 9:43 AM CDT)
Brooklyn Center residents are willing to pitch in and help one another, and the city's organizations do so as well.
In the last few weeks, three groups got together to secure a book for every student at Evergreen Park World Studies Elementary.
Earl Simons, a volunteer at the school, got the ball rolling.
"Jennifer Jorde was starting a program at the school and wanted to know if the Lions would like to get involved," Simons said. "The Lions would get the books and the students would get them as awards in a game."
Simons said Brooklyn Center Lions did not have as much money as it used to, but he said he would give it a try.
So he called Diane Sannes with the Friends of the Brookdale Library.
"I knew the library had book sales every year," Simons said. "I contacted Diane about purchasing books from them before they get out to the public."
Simons suggested the Lions make a donation to the Friends in exchange for the books to give to the students.
"We were able to make a donation to take care of their projects, and they gave us the books," he said.
Sannes said the Friends would use the donation to fund summer children's programs at the library, including a LegoMania event, Read to Win teen program and purchasing Realia Learning Toys.
The 530 students will play Books for Bingo to win their book, said Jorde, a speech therapist at Evergreen Park.
"We have a celebration at the end of each quarter and the kids are given awards for their International Baccalaureate profiles," Jorde said.
Jorde was excited about the books for the students. She said they are great books, on all kinds of topics, and they are hardcover.
Simons said the whole plan just came together perfectly.
"It was kind of a small project, but everyone was pretty pleased with it," he said. "It just couldn't have fit better."
Simons has been a volunteer at the school for three years. He listens to students read during the "Early Eagles" before-school program.
"It's a lot of fun," Simons said. "There's a lot of energy with those young kids."
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