By Isabel Geffner, Advancement Director
I am lucky to consider Jared a very dear friend. He and his family moved to North Carolina about five years ago, and we came to know one another through our shared faith community. Our families have become friends, too.
When Jared walks into a room, the energy waves shift, and the joys of being alive become magnetic attractions. Jared is funny, charismatic, and curious, and it’s not long after you start talking to him that you learn that Jared has culinary aspirations. He has a vision for his professional future, and it’s hard not to imagine him whipping up his favorite recipes for all to share.
Jared is an ebullient 18 year old now. And the only thing that may hold him back from his many dreams is that he has intellectual and developmental challenges. For example, while his interest is voracious, his reading ability is at about a 1st or 2nd grade level.
When his mother explained to me that Jared’s classmates yearn for engaging books to spark their imaginations, a light bulb went off in my head: Book Harvest has a bountiful selection of fabulous books for early readers that are culturally current, high-interest, and waiting to be re-owned by devoted readers with boundless aspirations – like Jared.
I packed up a couple of boxes of books I thought Jared and his classmates might like, and I brought them over to Jared’s house. This is the letter I just got in the mail from him.
Here at Book Harvest we stand by our commitment to provide books to kids who need them. And while Jared’s family may be outside the typical socio-economic demographic we usually serve, Jared is a reader we embrace with equal devotion and commitment. EVERY child deserves to grow up – in homes and in classrooms – with books that ignite their imaginations and dreams. How lucky are we to have kids like Jared in our shared universe!