50TH BIRTHDAY BOOK BASHES
To help celebrate RIF of NOVA's 50th birthday -- 1972 to 2022 -- we hosted a number of "Book Bash" events during our anniversary year to give away books donated by members of our community of supporters. Fun -- and books -- were had by all!
"Books, Bears, and Pajamas" at Patrick Henry K-8 School, November 18, 2022
Clad in PJ's and carrying fluffy toys, children in grades K-8 at Patrick Henry School selected two books to take home over the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday! The reading began...immediately!
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Book Bash at AFAC, the Arlington Food Assistance Center -- November 5, 2022
RIF of NOVA shared gently used books during a food distribution at AFAC, the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Children and parents alike were delighted to choose books, along with healthy meals. Alex Pomper, NOVA RIF Young Ambassador, started the collaboration via his own book website: giveakidabook.org. Pomper is shown in the gray T-shirt with his mom, Anne Kim (m), and NOVA RIF board member Sari Warren.
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Book Bash at Falls Church McLean Children's Center's Fall Festival -- October 7, 2022
The Falls Church McLean Children's Center (FCMLCC) held its Fall Festival with a hay maze, crafts, a food truck, and books for children contributed by NOVA RIF! As an invited participant, NOVA RIF was delighted to share some of our donated, like-new books with deserving children and families!
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Book Bash at Groveton Elementary Resource Fair -- August 13, 2022
Groveton Elementary School held its annual back-to-school Resource Fair in August, and RIF of NOVA books were a major part of the fun! A thousand books -- contributed by the NOVA RIF community of book donors -- were displayed in the gym, where students and their families could choose several books each to start a home library. Special thanks to fair organizer, Assistant Principal Françoise Casablanca, along with librarian and NOVA RIF liaison Eileen Findlay, special assistant Priscilla Karau, and a team of teachers and specialists for organizing the books into a display to rival all others! What an amazing success...as these images show!
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Credit -- Michael Greene
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Popsicles in the Park Book Bashes -- July and August 2022
What could be better than a popsicle and a book to read to add to summer's fun! RIF of NOVA's 50th Birthday Book Bash program joined forces with Carlin Springs Elementary School's Popsicles in the Park program for four dates of summer reading celebration. Along with popsicles and books to choose, Carlin Springs teachers read entertaining books to the gathering of children and their families. Special thanks to Carlin Springs librarian and NOVA RIF liaison Holly Nisco and Community School Coordinator Carol Sabatino and their colleagues for partnering together for this novel way to provide books for children over the summer.
What could be better than a popsicle and a book to read to add to summer's fun! RIF of NOVA's 50th Birthday Book Bash program joined forces with Carlin Springs Elementary School's Popsicles in the Park program for four dates of summer reading celebration. Along with popsicles and books to choose, Carlin Springs teachers read entertaining books to the gathering of children and their families. Special thanks to Carlin Springs librarian and NOVA RIF liaison Holly Nisco and Community School Coordinator Carol Sabatino and their colleagues for partnering together for this novel way to provide books for children over the summer.
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Book Bash at John Adams ES -- May 21, 2022
On a very hot Saturday, May 21, a Book Bash took place at John Adams Elementary School in Alexandria. With school librarian and NOVA RIF liaison Emily Godfrey at the helm, this Bash was open to all four Alexandria school communities served by RIF of NOVA -- John Adams, Patrick Henry K-8, Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology, and James K. Polk Elementary School. Children chose over 600 books to take home, along with bookmarks, lollipops, and reading award medals. A visit by Clifford the Big Red Dog added to the fun. Plus, the kids could make bookmarks of their own!
(l-r) Alexandria school liaisons Emily Godfrey (John Adams), Leslie Broughton (Polk), and Cathy Guthrie (Cora Kelly) all pitched in to help with the Alexandria Book Bash
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Volunteer Avery Canedo donned the Clifford costume and delighted the kids!
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John Adams principal Dr. Alicia Kingcade joined in the fun, complete with a book in hand!
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Book Bash at Culmore Community Day -- April 23, 2022
The first "Book Bash" was held on April 23, in conjunction with Culmore Community Day at Fairfax County's Woodrow Wilson Library. Eight hundred books, plus lollipops and bookmarks, went into the hands of children -- who were delighted to start their at-home libraries with such great opportunities to read. The books ranged from board books for the little ones to YA books for teens, and everything in between for kids interested in everything from dragons to magic to character stories. And fun? Had by all. Just take a look!
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