Book Fairies, the Freeport-based nonprofit dedicated to combatting illiteracy by giving kids books, donated its 5 millionth book to one lucky Northwest Elementary School student in Amityville on Nov. 14.
Each student in the school received their own free book of choice, but the lucky 5 millionth book had a golden ticket hidden within its pages. Dozens of students flooded to the three tables to grab their favorites, but little did the children know that the golden ticket was inside a copy of Makeda Makes a Birthday Treat by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, who attended the event.
“Our goal is to do one million books a year,” Book Fairies Executive Director Eileen Minogue said. “We give our books to Title I schools and under-resourced communities. What we try to do is level the playing field so that these kids can have as much opportunity to get books in their hands as their peers in upper- and middle-class neighborhoods.”
As second grader Riley Smith turned to the page in the book with the golden ticket hiding inside, confetti soared across the room as people cheered. As everyone ran to see the winner, Smith let out a few tears and quickly smiled with excitement as she hugged Rhuday-Perkovich.
Besides donating books to schools, Book Fairies has also provided books to libraries, community organizations, homeless shelters, children’s hospitals and elsewhere since it was founded in 2012.
For more information on the Book Fairies, visit thebookfairies.org
