Students get bookish at Forest Hill school
[attach]7842[/attach]The fourth annual GOB (Give One Book) program kicked off on May 12 at Forest Hill Junior and Senior School.
Although books are collected year round for the program, the book drive runs until May 23, with a goal of donating some 10,000 books to charity this month.
“I think it’s amazing over the past three years we collected over 7,600 books and this year we hope to reach 10,000,” said Barb Wiseberg, co-founder of the program, from the library at the Dunloe Road and Hawarden Crescent school.
“I thought it was a great program to promote literacy.”
Through donations over the next week, students hope to collect 2,400 additional books for The Children’s Book Bank, which supports childhood literacy by providing free books and support to children in low-income neighbourhoods in Toronto.
“It’s a really good program and it promotes literacy and ESL, and it also supports a really good cause too,” Grade 7 student Abby Waldman said.
“It’s just nice to do something for charity and help out the less fortunate,” added fellow Grade 7 student Joey Hotz.
Wiseberg said in addition to students this year they are appealing to parents, grandparents and corporations to help surpass their collection goal.
She said students run the event with little guidance.
“It’s very fun,” Grade 7 student Ell Grushcow said. “It’s very rewarding.”