In partnership with our Girl Scout service unit, a few girls run a book drive near the end of each year, collecting books from the service unit and the community. Me (Avery Adams) and Ellie Bierwirth have been in charge of this project for 3 years, picking it up from my sister and one of her troopmates after they graduated in 2022.
Now, as I am a senior and graduate this year, Ellie (a sophomore) is planning on taking on the project with Hannah Eddy (7th grade) in the future. After our collection drive, which usually takes place in November, we spend a day sorting the books by reading level and theme, while removing books that would be inappropriate for the kids. We then separate the books into piles of 3-4 and tie up each pile with a holiday ribbon.
On the day of the dinner event, we bring our stacks of books and lay them under the tree. The kids attending the dinner come up throughout the evening to pick a pile or two that looks interesting, with a little help from us to make sure it is at their age level. Each kid, no matter their age, can pick up a stack of books and we hope that our tradition helps them in their learning while also providing entertainment.Â
