Guilderland, NY – New York State United Teachers proudly congratulates its members in Guilderland for their effort to bring the gift of reading to local children this holiday season.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, members of the Guilderland Teachers’ Association handed out 10,000 new, high-quality books for free at Farnsworth Middle School to scores of students, families and educators for their home libraries and classrooms.
“The excitement on our students’ faces as they pick out books that fit their various interests is what this event is all about,” said GTA President Emily Mineau. “As educators, it is always our goal to bring out that excitement in kids for reading and learning, and we are thrilled to bring this wonderful opportunity to our community.”
The Reading Opens the World Book Drive and Family Literacy Fair was held in partnership with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the First Book program. NYSUT members have hosted these events in communities across the state to get books into the hands of children and spread the joy of reading.
“Reading is so important for children to expand their imagination, promote brain development and foster an overall love of learning,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “NYSUT is proud to sponsor this Literacy Fair initiative and our members who are striving to ensure all students have access to books of their own that they can treasure for a lifetime.”
"Our mission at Guilderland is to inspire all students to be life-long learners, and that begins with reading,” said GCSD Superintendent Dr. Marie Wiles. “Hosting this book drive provides families and educators the opportunity to build a library tailored to the interests of students, so that each and every child has what they need to enjoy reading both inside and outside of the classroom. We are grateful to NYSUT and to our Guilderland Teachers' Association for making this opportunity available to our school community."
During the event, the Guilderland High School Class of 2027 hosted a bake sale, student musicians entertained the crowd and honor students held a story time for kids.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with nearly 700,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.