The Book Fairies
The Book Fairies collects both new, like-new, and gently used books. They check them for age and condition before distributing them to Title I schools and non-profit organizations across Long Island and NYC to provide equitable opportunities for children to learn, grow, and thrive.
The Book Fairies are celebrating 10 years and over 3.2 million books distributed. Each year, they provide access to books to over 385 unique schools and organizations on Long Island and in NYC. Without a source of transportation of their own, The Book Fairies partner with 29 Special Needs Day Habilitation programs to provide transportation of the books to/from their Freeport warehouse. In 2021, The Book Fairies distributed 541,311 books, many of which were donated from one school district to the direct benefit of their peers in another district. “We can’t imagine a home without a book or a teacher without sufficient resources,” said Eileen Minogue, Executive Director. “We are here to support educators on Long Island to level the playing field where access to books is concerned. We know the resources are there, we just need to create the systems for collaboration.”
Here is how your school can become involved with The Book Fairies…Click on the title links to get more info.
Donating used books:
- Cleaning out book closets/multiple copies
- The Book Fairies can accept discarded class sets.
- Cleaning out school and classroom libraries
- The Book Fairies can accept fiction books from the last 20 years and nonfiction books from the last 10 years.
- Discarded textbooks
- The Book Fairies can accept discarded science and math textbooks to be sent to our partners building schools across Africa.
Run a book drive:
- The Book Fairies will pick up collected books at the end of the drive.
- Community Service hours available for students who participate in the drive AND sort books before they are picked up by The Book Fairies.
Volunteering:
- Community Service hours available for students that volunteer with The Book Fairies at their Freeport warehouse on weekends/vacation days.
Receiving Books (Title I schools only):
- Attend The Book Fairies’ Monthly Sunday Community Book Fairs
- $10 registration fee
- Hand pick unlimited books for classroom/programs
- 15,000 to 20,000 books are distributed each month
- Delivery of boxes of books to schools for distribution at special events (based on available stock)
Read-A-Thon
- Peer-to-Peer Fundraiser to support The Book Fairies (May 2022).
- Classes can virtually participate in over 20 author read-a-louds/Q&A sessions throughout the month.
- Past authors have included Nick Bruel, Gordon Korman, Nancy Krulik, Jude Watson, Renee Flagler and more.
The Long Island Coalition Against Bullying (LICAB)
Inspired by his own experiences with being bullied, Joe decided that getting angry was not the answer to deal with the situation and instead, channeled that anger by creating a positive program to help people cope as well as to deter the bullying from happening at all. Through private donations, fundraising and grants, LICAB has been offering a variety of programs and services for schools to embrace. From consultation services, classroom presentations, to parent and staff workshops, LICAB has been successful at emphasizing the importance of bully-free communities. The pandemic has unfortunately exacerbated issues of bullying, causing schools and communities to be largely unprepared to deal with the emotional, mental, social, and psychological effects of lockdowns and remote learning. LICAB’s multi-faceted programs help guide those struggling with bullying get back on a positive path.