Bell Elementary held a “Thank You” assembly on Tuesday morning to thank Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure in Harpursville, for donating a year’s worth of books to each of the 300 students at the school.
“It’s absolutely the most amazing thing - 3,000 books in the hands of 300 kids that they can read and re-read. It’s very much appreciated. It’s amazing,” said Bell Elementary principal Lorrie Hulbert.
Patch is providing the donation through the Scholastic Book program. For $10, a student can receive one book per month for ten months. Patch has arranged for each student in the school to take part in the program, a donation value of $3,000.
Patch hopes the books will inspire the students, much like Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran the Zoo inspired Patch when he was a boy.
“My first memory of an inspirational book was If I Ran a Zoo. I hope the kids read and get more than just entertainment. I hope they get inspiration and turn that into something tangible for years to come,” said Patch.
Students received the first of their ten books Tuesday – Sneezy the Snowman.
“I like the book. As soon as I got it, I read it right away,” said 2nd grader Zach Sullivan.
“When I got the book it was the one I wanted,” said 2nd grader Taylor Sellitto.
“The book was awesome. I read it before and it was my favorite book,” said 2nd grader Claire Latini.
Thanks to the donation, students at Bell Elementary now have nine more chances at a new favorite book that could change their life.