RED BANK – It was a sunny summer Saturday in late August. A good day for a little community service.
And that was what some were doing on Aug. 20, with Doc Shoppe owner Dean Ross making fun summer reading books available to borough school kids at his downtown shoe store.
And while that was going on, on the borough’s West Side Goldman Sachs financial service employees were spending their day getting the Red Bank Primary School ready for students.
“I wanted to get kids to read during the summer,” said Ross of his reasoning for making the books available in his shoe store, 43 Broad St. Ross handed out books on Aug. 13 and then again on Aug. 20 and will do it for a third Saturday on Aug. 27. The books are available from 10 to 11 a.m. with a selection intended for fun reading.
With the help of communication company Vonage’s Holmdel offices, Ross was able to secure hundreds of books through the Bridge of Books Foundation.
The local public school district sent out email blasts to the families of the approximately 1,400 students enrolled in the district’s primary and middle schools, letting them know about the book giveaway, according to Superintendent of Schools Jared Rumage, who was also on hand last Saturday.
Ross, with the help of Borough Council President Cindy Burnham, had about 200 age-appropriate volumes available for kids. “Next week I’ll have another 200,” thanks to Bridge of Books, Ross said.
“I don’t think kids read enough,” Ross said, especially when they’re out of school for the extended summer break.
“It’s a battle,” to try and keep students engaged when off for the summer, Rumage acknowledged. “We do everything we can to encourage summer learning.” Reading is a good and fun way to keep children on the learning track during the break, he added.
“With these guys we reserve time for reading,” Kelterborn offered of her children. “But it’s hard to interrupt play.”
“We’re happy to hear of kids getting books who need them,” said Bridge of Books Foundation Founder and Executive Director Abby Daly. “That’s what we’re all about.”
In its 13 years, the not-for-profit charitable foundation has given away nearly 700,000 books around the state, according to Daly.
In the hot and mostly quiet primary school, 222 River St., the walls were being painted and the playground area was being weeded and cleaned. The approximately 20 volunteers from Goldman Sachs’ Jersey City and New York City offices were “doing a little bit of everything,” helping prepare the school and grounds, according to Principal Luigi Laugelli.