LYNN — SkillsUSA students at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute (LVTI) are well on their way to raising the money they need to buy and distribute 15,000 new books free to local children.
With a $5,000 fundraising goal in sight, LVTI students have raised $2,300 and plan to match additional donations with $1,000 contributions from the Lynn Teachers Union, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Massachusetts AFT.
“We realize there is a big connection between success and reading at an early age. By working together, we can accomplish our goal,” said LVTI junior Erick Hernandez.
SkillsUSA co-advisor and LVTI teacher Jason McCuish said students picked literacy as their SkillsUSA project focus for this academic year and planned a multi-pronged approach to helping the city’s youngest students read.
They started writing a children’s book explaining vocational education trades and invited students in LVTI trade shops to raise $1,000 from each shop in pledges from family members and friends.
Donations allow SkillsUSA to buy brand-new children’s books at the price of two books for a dollar from First Book, a national organization which has distributed 175 million donated new books to children since 1992, according to the organization’s website.
“They make books affordable to communities,” McCuish said.
First Book made its first deliveries to LVTI earlier this month with additional books arriving this week. McCuish said a book giveaway to students across the city is planned for Dec. 15. He said SkillsUSA students plan to read their books to children attending kindergarten in the LVTI annex on Commercial in February.
The book collection and giveaway is the latest initiative launched by SkillsUSA, a national leadership organization hosting competitions throughout the country. The LVTI chapter is open to all students and has about 100 active student members, according to co-advisor Claire Price.
Under McCuish’ leadership, the group has grown from a half dozen members in the last four years with the chapter focusing community service projects on helping veterans, fighting opioid addiction and aiding the homeless.
“Skills allows our students to really shine. Our participation is a testament to the amount of dedication our students have made,” said LVTI Principal Carissa Karakaedos.
Skills member Brian Lopez looks forward to the mid-December book distribution as an opportunity to introduce SkillsUSA’s community service mission to younger students.
Online donations to the book distribution can be made to: support.firstbook.org/LVTIreadingskillsUSA
Donations may also be mailed to SkillsUSA, 80 Neptune Blvd., Lynn, MA 01902.
