On behalf of the SMS Student Library Council, co-presidents Caitlin Garrabrant and Shelby Holmes thank the Saint Mary’s School Community for donating over 500 new and gently-used children’s books to UNC’s Book Fairy Book Drive. The Book Fairy is an organization that donates books for ages one through mid-teen to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UNC Hospitals. The Student Library Council selected this worthy cause as one of its community service projects this year.
Both UNC employees, Kathy Humphries—the Book Fairy—and her husband Chink, who works in the library, began collecting thousands of books to donate to the pediatric cancer unit after their 13 year-old-son Karl, who loved to read and battled a brain tumor, passed away in 2007. “It’s all a little bittersweet,’’ Humphries says. “You hate for the kids to be in this situation; it just doesn’t seem right. … But if you can help them get away from the boredom, bring them a smile, that’s a good thing.”
“The book drive has been a perfect way to bring escape and comfort to children through books…that’s something that library employees are universally passionate about, and we’ve been so grateful for the terrific community response,” says Eileen Dewitya, Assistant Head of Special Collection Technical Services, who helped to organize this year’s book drive.
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