Passaic County Technical Institute students Aleksandra Szymanska, Angel DeLos Reyes and Fatihah Ahmed pose with one of the Little Free Libraries that they are donating to various locations. (Photo provided)
Aleksandra Szymanska of West Milford, a student at Passaic County Technical Institute, is participating in the SkillsUSA Community Service Competition with students Angel DeLos Reyes and Fatihah Ahmed.
As future educators, they chose as their sustainable project to promote literacy and community engagement with “One Book at a Time.” In collaboration with the school’s construction program, they are creating and distributing Free Little Libraries to a variety of locations.
They held a book drive at the school to fill the libraries. Any books not used for the project are sent to Book Smiles, a nonprofit that helps “irrigate book desserts.”
“Our goal is simple: to ensure that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the joy of reading,” Szymanska said. “We don’t just want to distribute books; we want to make children fall in love with reading and create a sense of community spirit.
“By providing access to literature in areas where it may be hard to access them, we aspire to create curiosity and a thirst for knowledge among young minds.”