CCCS Happenings FREE Book Fair for Students &Teachers
Larry Abrams, a former high school English teacher, turned his passion for reading into a powerful movement known as Book Smiles. What started as a simple passion project for Larry, has transformed into an impressive operation that now delivers 85,000 books each month from South Jersey. Inspired by a former student’s unique story, Larry became aware of the pressing issue faced by children in Book Deserts — communities where access to books and reading support is severely lacking.
Larry understood that a lot of local families had books that their children had outgrown and were just collecting dust, so he aimed to find a way to help. He took to Facebook, launching a campaign inviting his local community to donate books, and the response was overwhelming. CCCS is the first Charter School/school district to collaborate with Book Smiles, welcoming the program to operate at two of its larger campuses providing thousands of free books to students.
Since its inception in November 2017, Book Smiles has emerged as one of the largest book banks in the United States, providing nearly 1.5 million new and gently used books to children in need. “The joy on the children's faces as they received their free books was truly heartwarming. The students were so excited they began reading their books right away. Enjoying reading is the first step in becoming a good reader”, stated CEO Dr. Clark. We are incredibly grateful to our very own Lisa Allen (ELA Department Coordinator) and Melonie Schmitt (Director of Induction & Mentoring / Federal Grant Coordinator), along with our wonderful new friends at Book Smiles and Action Tank, for their incredible generosity and commitment to service our school community.