APRIL 2018. Westchester, New York. GAMECHANGER, LLC (GAMECHANGER) is sponsoring its Fifth Annual Book Drive in May 2018. This year, GAMECHANGER will collect books for Open Door Medical Center to give children greater access to literature and literacy programs throughout Westchester.
GAMECHANGER is Westchester’s quick and easy source for academic, sports, music, and art instructors. GAMECHANGER is a free referral service that connects parents to the instructors they need to help their children build skills and gain confidence.
The Fifth Annual Children’s Book Drive will support Open Door Medical Center’s partnership with Reach Out and Read, a national literacy program providing disadvantaged children with a foundation for success. The evidenced-based program engages doctors and volunteers to incorporate books into pediatric care and encourages families to read aloud together. According to Alicia Ward, the Manager of Volunteer Programs at the Open Door Foundation, “Early childhood literacy is a critical part of a child’s well-being – which is the drive behind Open Door Family Medical Centers’ Open Door.” Open Door is particularly interested in receiving first readers and easy chapter books.
“In our continuing pursuit to help children feel successful, we are sponsoring our fifth annual book drive,” states GAMECHANGER co-founder, Marilyn Rifkin. Reading enhances concentration, world awareness, and brain activity, all of which help to make children more successful as students. Ultimately, this is GAMECHANGER’s objective – to help create a well-rounded, confident, and successful child.
Over the past four years, with the help of our community, GAMECHANGER collected thousands of books for the Ossining Children’s Center, Neighbors Link, The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, and Wagon Road Day Camp.
For the 2018 Children’s Book Drive, underclassmen and seniors from Chappaqua, Edgemont, Pleasantville, and Mamaroneck are teaming with GAMECHANGER to help get first readers, easy chapter books, and board books to the children at Open Door Medical Center’s Reach Out and Read program. “As graduating seniors move onto the next stage in their lives, it is important for them to realize that not everyone has easy access to books. We hope that they will learn to understand and value the impact of these contributions,” says co-founder Deborah Notis.
Open Door provides healthcare and wellness services to some of the most economically disadvantaged families in Westchester and Putnam Counties, and never turns away a patient for lack of the ability to pay for care. Kids in the waiting areas love seeing volunteers come by with rolling book carts and families are encouraged to take a book home for their child with every visit to the health center. Open Door pediatricians take the time to demonstrate reading techniques during visits with patients starting at six months old through five years-old, and they send a developmentally appropriate book home with the child.
Please look for the GAMECHANGER drop off boxes at these convenient locations:
-
- DeCIcco & Sons Supermarket. 17 Maple Avenue, Armonk.
- Euro Pizzeria. 103 North State Road, Briarcliff.
- Mt. Kisco Seafood. 477 Lexington Avenue, Mt. Kisco.
- The Office of Dr. Kathy Hirsch. 153 Main Street, Mt. Kisco.
- Walgreens. 411 King Street, Chappaqua.
- Scattered Books. 29 King Street, Chappaqua.
- Josef Mikel Salon. 335 Manville Road, Pleasantville.
- Toy Box. 300 W. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck.
- Little Joe’s Coffee & Books, 26 Katonah Avenue, Katonah.
In addition to collecting books at these convenient locations, GAMECHANGER will be co-hosting an online and in-store book fair with the Chappaqua book store, Scattered Books.
For more information about our book drive, check out our Facebook.com/gamechangernow and website –www.gamechangernow.com.
For any questions regarding the book drive or GAMECHANGER’s multiple resources for children, check out gamechangernow.com, send a quick email to [email protected] or call to 914.449.6772. That’s all it takes to give your child an advantage in and out of the classroom.
