RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia Commonwealth University student is asking for the community's help as she works to boost literacy rates at a local Title I elementary school through a book donation drive.
Ciara Norfleet, a junior at VCU who dreams of becoming an educator and entrepreneur, has placed donation bins at businesses throughout the community to collect books for students at Carver Elementary.
“I’m trying to figure out better ways to help kids want to read and improve their reading scores,” Norfleet said.
Rather than waiting until after graduation to make a difference, Norfleet decided to start now by creating a community-wide book collection effort.
“Why wait for change when you never know what’s going to happen?” she added.
Norfleet began crafting her project by reaching out to community leaders, businesses, and nonprofits, learning how to create a community-wide effort.
“You can’t keep saying ‘what if.’ You just have to do it,” she stated.
Now, Richmond-area businesses have set up bins to collect books for students at Carver Elementary.
Norfleet plans to set up the donated books up like a book fair and allow the students to pick any they like for free.
Eager to deliver the donations, Norfleet hopes to remind students of the importance of reading.
“I feel like they’re going to enjoy it,” she said.
This time she’s spent outside the classroom has fueled her future plans and reinforced her commitment to investing in youth across all communities.
"I want to be a role model. That’s the main thing mentoring and bettering the youth,” Norfleet said.
The book drive runs through May 9. The drive is accepting picture, chapter, comics, early readers, poetry, novels and sensory friendly books. You can drop off donations at:
- Halal Munchies
- One Way Market
- Kicks Boomin
- Strvs Kicks
- Lockerroom RVA
- Bo Dillaz
- Natroganix
- VCU Commons
- VCU Harris Hall
- Station 5 Fire Department
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