Centerboard book giveaway at Fraser Field Thursday

LYNN – Centerboard is expecting to hit a homerun with the North Shore Navigator’s youngest fans Thursday when it gives away books to every child who attends the game at Fraser Field.”We gave out books on the summer reading list to every Lynn student K to 5,” said Centerboard’s Director of Special Projects Carla Scheri. “Every kid got a book along with a ticket good for two people to the Navigator’s game.”Centerboard is a non-profit aimed at revitalizing Lynn and more recently it’s focus has been about putting a book in every child’s hands.”Cause really what’s more important,” said Scheri.This is the second year Centerboard has teamed up with the Navigators in the name of literacy, Scheri said. Last year fans were asked to donate a book and in turn got in free. In an about face, this year fans get to take a book home, she said.Centerboard’s bookmobile will be parked in the plaza at Fraser Field in time for first pitch, which is 7 p.m., Scheri said. The mobile will be stocked with children’s books arranged by subject and grade and children will be invited to take a book of their choosing home with them.”We had a great turnout last year,” Scheri said. “It’s very exciting to see all the kids.”There has been a citywide push to increase literacy among adults as well as children and Scheri said Centerboard has been lucky enough to make a connection with a non-profit social enterprise “More than Words.” The Boston and Waltham-based organization helps empower troubled kids to take control of their lives by taking control of a business and one of those businesses is a bookshop, Scheri added.”So they get book donations from everywhere,” she explained. “As we’ve built a relationship with them they’ve given us books.”Those books find their way into Centerboard’s own bookshop and onto the big red bookshelves that are popping up in schools across the city and fill the shelves of the bookmobile, Scheri said. And eventually the books find their way into the hands of children, all for free.”For us it’s just a way to get books in kids hands,” she said. “It’s really important to boost literacy and to encourage parents and kids to read together.”Scheri said they have given away thousands of books and they hope to give away at least a couple of thousand more Thursday.”We gave tickets to every (elementary age) kid in the city so we hope to give away at least that many books,” she said.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].