TRENTON – New Jersey first lady Mary Pat Christie has honored Abby Daly, founder and executive director of the non-profit Bridge of Books Foundation as her 4th New Jersey Hero of 2014.
Daly, a resident of Locust, was the subject of the May 23 Scene page profile in The Two River Times.
Daly and her all-volunteer group are responsible for putting more than 425,000 books into the hands of at-risk children across the Garden State in an effort to support literacy skills and encourage a love of reading.
“Books are powerful tools that open doors to learning, expand our imagination and help to understand the world around us,” Christie said. “Since 2003, Abby Daly has been working to ensure that all children throughout New Jersey have this same opportunity through her Bridge of Books Foundation. I’m amazed by the thousands of students she has been able to impact by changing their lives through reading books. I am proud to name Abby Daly as our 28th New Jersey Hero.””
Bridge of Books collects donations from all over the Garden State. Once the books are received, volunteers review them to make sure they are in good condition and then sort the books by age. Thousands of books are then matched with agency requests from around the state. Recently, more than 7,500 books went to schools/agencies in three New Jersey counties over the course of nine days.
More importantly, any New Jersey agency or institution that provides services to underprivileged or at-risk children can receive books. The distribution network has more than 100 agencies. Recipients include schools, after-school programs, shelters, community fairs, food banks and both juvenile/adult detention facilities. Many agencies receive between one and four donations per year.
Additional information about Bridge of Books Foundation, including how to make monetary and book donations, is available by visiting www.bridgeofbooksfoundation.org.
