Students open up hearts with donations of books

By ANDREW MARTINS
Staff Writer

 Pupils at the Elms Elementary School, Jackson, pack up more than 1,000 books that were collected and will be shipped to students who attend the Pine Point Elementary School in Ponsford, Minn.  PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Pupils at the Elms Elementary School, Jackson, pack up more than 1,000 books that were collected and will be shipped to students who attend the Pine Point Elementary School in Ponsford, Minn. PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR What began as a book club at a Jackson elementary school turned into an effort that collected more than 1,500 books for a school in Minnesota.

A group of about 30 fifth-graders from the Elms Elementary School collected the books as a new student club, “Tiger Paws for a Cause,” got off the ground.

Teacher Donna Donner said the effort took wing after she mentioned that she knew a teacher at the Pine Point Elementary School on a Native American reservation in Ponsford, Minn., who had lamented about a lack of books for her pupils.

Donner said she connected with her fellow educator through a social media group made up of educators from around the country.

“We are so rich in books and our love for books at Elms,” Donner said. “When I mentioned that the school in Minnesota did not have as much as we did, the kids said they could not imagine not having books readily available.”

She said the pupils took the reins from the start. They talked about the book drive during morning announcements and at lunch. They asked their peers to donate books that were no longer needed.

After that, it wasn’t long before books began arriving at Elms.

“The kids started bringing boxes and boxes of books to my room,” Donner said. “Our community completely came together and everybody is so happy to send out the books.”

Principal Michael Burgos said, “This event is a wonderful example of Elms’ commitment and the teachers’ and students’ commitment to giving back to the greater good. This project started as something small … and it gelled into something a lot bigger. It’s about giving back.”

After school on Dec. 2, students, parents and teachers sorted the books by reading level.

Parent Amalia Ulrey said she was proud of the students and more than happy to support the book drive in any way possible.

“The kids are really what made us excited and motivated to get this done,” Ulrey said. “For me, it was an amazing experience to see the kids reach out and think of someone other than themselves.”

A donation from a parent will cover the cost of shipping the books to Minnesota.

Donner has remained in contact with her counterpart at Pine Point, although she has not told her fellow teacher exactly how the book drive at Elms turned out.

“[Pine Point] has no idea this is coming to them. They think they are getting a box of books,” Donner said. “I kind of want to tell her they need to build a bigger shelf.”

Donner said the Elms group has included a special request for the Minnesota school.

“If they become rich in books, we hope they would do the same thing for another school,” the teacher said.

Donner said the students will come up with another charitable cause in January. She said she knows the Elms pupils will leave a legacy at the school.

“This isn’t surprising at all because I just think these kids have never been given the opportunity,” she said. “When you open the door, let them walk through it and give them a little freedom in their thinking … that is how they get things done.”