By Grace Baucom, Book Harvest volunteer
Hi there! I’m a rising senior at Middle College High School at Durham Technical Community College. I’ve been volunteering at Book Harvest since my freshman year, and this spring I became a trained volunteer so I could become more involved with this incredible organization. There is truly no other nonprofit like this one – where do I start?! Book Harvest’s mission is to give books to kids who need them, and that is so powerful, and SO important. As someone whose childhood was filled with books, I know how incredibly meaningful books are to children. When I help students choose books during the Books on Break event each year, I can’t help but smile when I see so many familiar titles from my childhood – and I can’t help but smile even bigger when I get to give one of those special books to a child to read and enjoy!
Books are truly magic. They teach us about the world we live in, give us new and fantastic worlds to visit (I’m still waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter – do they take college applications?), and give us worlds of opportunity as we become more skilled and open minded thinkers with each new book. It gives me so much joy to know that the books that Book Harvest provides have such an astounding impact – whether hearing about a teacher who gave hundreds of books to their middle schoolers thanks to Books to Go, or seeing a kindergartner’s face light up when they learn that they get to keep their Books on Break books forever, I am constantly energized by the positive change Book Harvest makes in our community.
Book Harvest inspires me, and is one of the many driving forces behind my intense passion for education. Sharing the joy of learning is my philosophy as a future teacher, and I get to share that joy every time I work with Book Harvest. I think that education is power, but I believe that loving to learn is equally important! Book Harvest mirrors that idea by focusing on connecting children with books that they are excited about, and I know that those are the books that will make them excited about learning, reading, and the world around them as they grow older. When I help a child choose a book about the ocean, I envision the biologist that child may become. When I hand an avid reader a book from their favorite series, I hand it to the future novelist I see in them. I feel like Book Harvest is creating an extraordinary and important legacy through books, and I couldn’t be more grateful to play a part in creating that legacy.