Written by Seth Stutman
Photos by Lanae Photo & Amy Anderlonis

Sponsored by East Village Place

Published in Longmeadow Neighbors (March 2024)

Excitement filled the air on a Wednesday morning at Liberty Elementary School in Springfield. The 4th grade students had three special visitors, Jaimie Cambi of Longmeadow and her two daughters Elle (age 10) and Summer (age 5), who were there to be welcomed as the school’s new Link to Libraries Community Book Link Sponsor. As a result of their family’s generous sponsorship, Liberty Elementary School’s library receives between 200-250 new high-quality books each year. During the presentation, students presented the Cambi family with handmade thank you cards. Cambi and her daughters gifted each student with a new book to take home. Smiles were all around.

“Our family is so proud to be part of Link to Libraries, which helps promote a love of books, and reading,” said Cambi. “Books have always represented many things to me – a source of comfort, inspiration, entertainment, and an enhanced perspective into understanding our world and others living in it.”

Cambi is one of so many supporters and volunteers who make Link to Libraries, a local nonprofit, able to change the trajectories of students right here in the Pioneer Valley. Since its founding in 2008, Link to Libraries has sought to help the large number of children in the region who struggle in school because of their inability to read proficiently. Through its Community Book Link and Read Aloud programs, Link to Libraries strives to inspire reading by getting more books into the hands of children. To date, Link to Libraries has distributed over 1,000,000 books to underserved youth in the community - and they’re just getting started.

“Learning to read is a child’s best chance for success in school and in life, yet 70% of the children Link to Libraries serves across Western Massachusetts are reading below grade level standards,” stated CEO and President of Link to Libraries Laurie Flynn. “That is why we have made it our mission to support educators by providing books and volunteer readers to help engage young readers.”

There are direct correlations between reading success and time spent reading both at school and at home - and for a variety of reasons, both schools and families are finding less and less time to read. Link To Libraries aims to both increase reading in-school and to build at-home libraries so that students can discover the joys (and necessities) of reading at home.

“Increasing a child’s access to books is one of the most effective ways to create and inspire young readers, and learning to read proficiently is a child’s best chance for success in school and in life. By increasing their access to books at home and in school, Link to Libraries strives to inspire young readers and enhance the language and literacy skills of children of all cultural backgrounds,” said Flynn.

Link to Libraries has a unique read aloud program that provides children with free books to build their own at-home libraries. Readers visit classrooms once a month from October through May, and at each visit every student picks out a new free book. Approximately 200 volunteer readers and 70 schools participate in the program.

Susan Jaye-Kaplan and Janet Crimmins Co-Founded Link to Libraries in 2008 out of deep concern for the number of children in the region who struggle in school because of their inability to read proficiently. Since then, this nonprofit has grown and in 2023 awarded its 1,000,000th book.

“Having the opportunity to share books and stories with a classroom of students each and every month was one of the greatest volunteer experiences of my life. Honestly, I would start every day doing it if I could. The books we read sparked fascinating conversations, and it was such fun watching them choose a book to keep at the end of each visit.” said Flynn.

It’s not just adults and companies who enjoy donating time - even little students can glean life lessons and joy from volunteering.

“Our Link to Libraries Littles program provides children with the opportunity to give back to their community at a very young age,” said Amy Anderlonis, Executive VP of Link to Libraries. “We have children as young as 5 years old coming to our warehouse to help unpack and label books. They truly enjoy labeling the books and we greatly appreciate their helping hands. When I see our young volunteers around town, they often ask me when they can come back to the warehouse. It warms my heart seeing how excited they are to volunteer at Link to Libraries!”

Link to Libraries also understands that for students to feel seen and empowered, it’s important to purchase books that reflect the culture of the student body. That attention to diversity is apparent in book choices and appreciated by school districts.

“We are currently updating our school libraries so students can have access to literature that reflects their cultural background, and through our partnership with Link to Libraries we are able to attain that goal,” said Neil Gile, the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for West Springfield Public Schools. “We are so appreciative to be able to provide families with a rich collection of books that students can identify with.”

Longmeadow has responded well to this incredible nonprofit. “I have been blown away by the support Link to Libraries has received by Longmeadow residents, not just financially but with their time as well,” said Anderlonis. “There is such an eagerness to give back, whether it’s reading in a classroom, sponsoring a school, labeling books, planning a gala, organizing an author visit, managing a community outreach event or boxing up shipments for school libraries. We couldn’t do the work we do of building brighter futures through books without them. We are incredibly grateful for their support.

More than one million books later, it’s the smiles of students that keep Link to Libraries volunteers going. “Our day at Liberty Elementary in Springfield was so special,” said Cambi. “Thank you Liberty Elementary for the warm welcome, and thoughtful notes we will always treasure!”

If you would like to donate to Link to Libraries or become a volunteer reader visit linktolibraries.org