51.0°,
Mostly Cloudy A big effort for Big Brothers, Big Sisters
East Rockaway student collects 300 books
There are plenty of adults who have trouble organizing their schedules and executing a plan. Even though Brianna Halstead is only 7-years-old, it’s apparent that when she makes a plan you can believe she intends to follow through.
Last month, Brianna, with the help of her parents, started a book drive – not for extra credit in her second-grade class or because it’s the cool thing to do, but because she wanted to do something nice for people less fortunate.
“I wanted to help the poor people,” Brianna, a student at Centre Avenue School in East Rockaway and a resident of Lynbrook said. So far she has collected more than 300 books and stores them in her house. Sometime in April she will donate the books she collects to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island.
Her parents, Kathy and Jeff, helped spread the word about Brianna’s book drive through Facebook, and drives her around town to pick up books from those interested in helping out. Kathy didn’t think Brianna was serious when she first said she wanted to start a book drive, but after awhile it was apparent she wasn’t kidding.
“She said that there are a lot of kids out there that don’t have any books, there’s a lot of kids that are poor and their parents cannot afford to buy them certain things,” Kathy said. “She felt that every kid should have a book to read.”
Kathy said that most people who have donated books are surprised to hear that a 7-year-old is responsible for organizing a book drive. “Most kids that age are usually just playing but here she is thinking about others,” Kathy said.
If you have books to donate, email the Halstead’s at bribri1021@optonline.net.
