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GARDNER — For the second year, hundreds of kindergarten and first grade students at Waterford Street School will end the school year with fun summertime reading, thanks to a donation of over 1,000 books from a group of Mount Wachusett Community College students.
Otaku United, a club that celebrates Asian culture, raised $1,390 in April by conducting a silent auction of a wide range of gift cards and items donated to the club to support the cause. Proceeds from the benefit auction were used to purchase age-appropriate books for the students from Scholastic Reading Club.
Each kindergarten and first grade student went home on June 14 — the last day of school — with two books. The club donated 1,014 books to the elementary school and more than 40 books to the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education at MWCC.
“One of the district’s goals is literacy, and this donation definitely supports that initiative,” said Waterford Principal Dan Hill.
“We really appreciate this donation to the kids.” The donated books will augment the district’s summer reading challenge program, Hill said.
MWCC Early Childhood Education major and auction coordinator Andrea Bartlett said the club appreciated the support it received from MWCC faculty, staff and students during the auction. “They were wonderful. We couldn’t do it without them,” Bartlett said. This year’s fundraiser exceeded last year’s inaugural event by $390.
“There’s nothing like taking home a new book,” Bartlett said.