Scout delivers on quest to share books

Chesterfield Elementary School student delivers over 1,000 donated books to the International Book Project in Kentucky.

By: Scott Morgan
   CHESTERFIELD — Here’s something you probably didn’t do when you were 10 years old — single-handedly collect 1,100 books just so you could take them to Lexington, Ky.
   Nevertheless, the above act of charity was how Greta Vanveldhuisen spent Easter week this year. After weeks of posting fliers that asked for gently used books in the local post office and Chesterfield Elementary School, after soliciting help for shipping money at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cranbury, and after gathering, boxing and labeling a stunning number of books, Greta enlisted her mom, Donna, to drive her to Kentucky and deliver the haul to the International Book Project. Greta’s reasons could be explained as just another Girl Scout project, but that would imply that this particular Chesterfield Elementary fifth-grader was just looking for a merit badge.
   What makes this story different than most is Greta’s motivation, summed up quite succinctly by her mom: "She loves books. She just wanted to do it."
   So there it is. Greta’s 10 and she just wanted to help. She loves to read and she wanted to help other kids around the world read too — which explains why her mother also had this to say: "She’s a spunky little girl. I was just so proud of her."
   Having collected 1,100 books and $200 for shipping, the Vanveldhuisens made their way to Lexington, where not only does Ms. Vanveldhuisen’s sister lives, but which also is the headquarters of the IBP. A nonprofit agency built to deliver books to classrooms around the world, and usually to places without many other outlets to the written word, IBP opened its doors on March 28 and took in boxes and boxes and, yes, boxes, of books from Greta.
   "That was a fairly large amount of books for someone her age," said Tom Zemsky, who manages the IBP warehouse in Kentucky. "And very seldom would someone drive them from New Jersey and drop them at our door."
   While he said IBP has seen sizeable donations in its 39-year life, Mr. Zemsky did say it’s a little unusual for someone so young to be the sole reason such a donation happens.
   "We were pleased and impressed," he said. If you’re not convinced of his sincerity, consider that a general mention of Greta’s donation was met with this: "Oh, you must be talking about Greta."
   Where the books are going from Lexington is a hard call, Mr. Zemsky said. Possibly Tanzania, though it’s too early to say, he said. Regardless, Ms. Vanveldhuisen said she’s just happy to know her spunky daughter did a good thing for a good reason.
   Oh, and the $200? Greta gave that to IBP too. To help them cover transportation costs to whatever places those books will go.