The grin on Susan Caswell’s face perfectly mirrored that of 120 kids around her.

“You can do all the interventions you want, but ultimately it’s about getting books into their hands and inspiring a love of reading,” said the Green Meadow Elementary School principal.

Young faces beamed as United Way Campaign Cabinet members, led by co-chair Kevin Lobo, delivered 225 books to the Comstock school on Sept. 14—all part of the United Way Children’s Book Drive. A similar delivery happened Sept. 15 at Minges Brook Elementary School in Battle Creek, led by co-chair Tom Beuchler and local Campaign Cabinet volunteers.

“We know that kids need to read well to succeed in school,” said Lobo, Chairman and CEO of Stryker. “That starts by making sure they have books to read. At Stryker, we’re thrilled to help make that happen.”

Although the book drive began Sept. 12, Stryker got an early start—gathering nearly 1,000 new or gently used books from Kalamazoo-based employees during the first two weeks of September. Some of those books landed in the hands of Green Meadow Elementary School students.

To the cheers of students, Lobo announced the donation during a school assembly. Then students broke out into eight small groups, with Campaign Cabinet members reading to them before kids selected the books they would take home.

Caswell said 90 percent of Green Meadow students qualify for free or reduced lunch, meaning they come from low-income backgrounds that make it tough to get books to read at home. “Getting a free book they can call their own is a big deal for these students,” she said.

At Minges Brook Elementary, Beuchler, President and CEO of Schweitzer Construction Inc., and Cabinet members brought directly to classrooms another 225 books gathered thus far through local donations. These volunteers sat with more than 200 kids, reading from the donated books and encouraging children to read on their own. School staff hailed the effort as a highlight for their students and an important effort to promote reading.

Book Drive Continues Through Sept. 21
The United Way Children’s Book Drive seeks new or gently used books, appropriate for ages kindergarten through 3rd grade. Those books can be dropped off at the following locations:

• UWBCKR offices at 34 W. Jackson St. in Battle Creek, and 709 S. Westnedge Ave. in Kalamazoo.
• All Kellogg Community Credit Union locations.
• Marshall Community Credit Union, 1157 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek.
• YMCA locations at 182 Capital Ave. NE in Battle Creek; 1001 W. Maple Ave. in Kalamazoo; and 6225 N. 39th St. at Sherman Lake, Augusta.

If you prefer to donate a book online, UWBCKR has set up a wish list on Amazon. You can select one or more books from the list and have them sent directly to United Way. Here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/bookdrivewishlist

Those who wish to contribute money to buy books for the drive can text BOOKDRIVE4KIDS to 41444, or call (269) 343-2524 or (269) 962-9538.

Also, United Way seeks volunteers to help sort donated books. If you’re interested in volunteering, sign up at https://tinyurl.com/bookdrivevolunteer or email getinvolved@uwbckr.org.