PEABODY — With the community’s help, the Thomas Carroll Elementary School PTO is working to ensure that all students, approximately 600, at the Title 1 school can buy books at the PTO’s well-known, well-loved Scholastic Book Fair, running from March 24-26.
The PTO has partnered with Scholastic’s Share the Fair program, which supports students who need help buying new books, to create a fund and guarantee every student can walk away from the book fair with a new book they chose at no cost to the student or their family.
PTO Secretary Sarah Cameron explained what inspired this fund.
“The children that were there last year, they’re watching the other children get books, and I can’t imagine, like, I would feel awful to have to sit and watch someone else from your classroom get a book while you can’t. It’s kind of sad, and it’s really important that everyone gets a book because you want them to feel included in something with the school,” she said.
Cameron added, “Reading is important, too. It fosters a love of learning; it strengthens parent-child bonds; you get brain development (and expand) your imagination. It just does so much. It’s very important, especially with kids in elementary school.”
The Carroll School PTO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. Donations will be accepted for this spring’s book fair until March 25. If the community exceeds the PTO’s fundraising goal, the remaining funds will roll over to next year’s book fair.
Donations can be made via this link: https://shop.scholastic.com/stf/fund?orgUCN=600062579.
“We’re just hoping that every child gets the opportunity to at least get one book, and they can go out and pick it with their peers, so they feel included with something in the school… We want it to be the best book fair ever this year,” Cameron said.
