Myles and Rachel Schnaier collect 1,020 books for Book Fairies

In Early June, Seaford High School students Myles Schnaier — Salutatorian of the class of 2023 — and his sister Rachel — an upcoming junior — organized a book drive and donated 1,020 books to the Book Fairies, a non-profit organization that distributes new and gently used books to under-resourced communities on Long Island.

Myles first heard about the Book Fairies when he was in second grade at Harbor Elementary, where they had set up a book donation bin. Myles’ interest was immediately piqued and he started donating books that he no longer needed; however, it wasn’t until a few years later that Myles started getting more involved. In middle school, he started volunteering in the Book Fairies’ warehouse in Freeport, sorting and packing book donations — which he would continue to do throughout high school.

Myles held his first book drive last year — where he collected and donated around 1,000 books — but as the year anniversary crept up, he posed an even bigger goal for himself.

“I just know how much I enjoyed doing the last book drive,” Myles said, “so I thought I may as well just do another one, just try to surpass my own record.”

After collecting all the books, Myles and Rachel not only ensured that each book being donated was in good condition, but they also organized the books into separate boxes, sorting and labeling each one by grade level.

Once their categorization was finished, the Schnaiers ended up being successful, with 1,020 books donated to the Book Fairies. Although this was an exciting moment for both of them, the people that they were helping by doing this drive were always more important than exceeding any records.

“It’s really just about knowing that I helped support the Book Fairies in a big way,” Myles said. “Kids in these underprivileged neighborhoods will be able to benefit from the work I’ve done.”

Myles and Rachel couldn’t have achieved this alone; they found constant support from their community. Myles expressed his gratitude to Seaford Library for providing them a space to leave their book donation box and to the Seaford community for allowing them to pick up books that they were no longer in need of or books that otherwise would have gone to waste.

Myles encourages others not only to volunteer with the Book Fairies but to organize their own book drive, even if they’re apprehensive.

“Once you start doing it and once you start collecting the first few books … you just become addicted to it,” he said. “Even if you’re not 100 percent committed, just do it anyway, and you won’t regret doing so.”

Although Myles is off to Binghamton in the fall, when asked if he’d like to continue to volunteer with the Book Fairies in the future, Myles was filled with anticipation.

“It’s been great over the years, and I don’t see me stopping,” he said. “I definitely hope to do so, and I think I will.”