Community Corner

R-FH Book Drive to Benefit Union Beach

R-FH Librarian Linda Murray made the collection a priority

"No one seems to enjoy a new book as much as a grade school child does."

That's what Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School Librarian Linda Murray says and believes. Murray should know, having spent some time as the Librarian at Conover Road Grammar School in Colts Neck before joining the R-FH staff.

So when she heard that Union Beach Memorial School had suffered devastating damage and been temporarily closed due to Hurricane Sandy, she decided to make its students and teachers the most recent beneficiaries of the annual R-FH Library Book Drive.

"As a school Librarian, I felt strongly about helping a school in need," Murray explained. "And the story of this school in particular, in an area that was not featured as prominently as some others on the news reports about Hurricane Sandy damage, just compelled me to action."

Located on Morningside Avenue, Union Beach Memorial suffered significant losses during Hurricane Sandy as more than a foot of floodwater poured into the school. In addition to to structural and electrical damage, the school suffered the loss of equipment and supplies — including much-loved books.

The local community and R-FH students, parents, and staff responded generously to the call for new and gently used books. As a result, approximately 4,000 hardcover and softcover books are packed up and ready to be enjoyed by Union Beach Memorial students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

The books were collected from Feb. 1 through May 3 and then carefully sorted and placed in boxes. Each box is clearly marked with the appropriate reading age for the books it contains, as well as the books' genre.

"This level of organization will make it a lot easier for teachers to put the books to immediate use, either in the library or in the classroom," said Murray.

The books are scheduled for pickup in early June, in anticipation of Union Beach Memorial's reopening which is slated for mid-to-late June.

"As they have done each year without fail, the members of the community have made the book drive a rousing success" said Murray. "I cannot thank them enough for their support." This marks the fifth consecutive year that the R-FH Library staff has organized the book drive.

Books that do not meet the specific needs of Union Beach Memorial School have been earmarked for use by the Bridge of Books Foundation, a non-profit organization providing gently used and new books to underprivileged children throughout New Jersey.

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