Jolene Raymond checks out the books in the ShineOnCass Lending Library at Kennebec Valley YMCA, in Augusta, where free books are available to YMCA member families and visitors. (contributed photo)
ShineOnCass Foundation invites the community to join “Cassidy’s Birthday Board Book Drive” to help shine a light on childhood literacy and inspire early reading. The ShineOnCass Foundation, named and created in memory of Cassidy Charette, will collect children’s board books during the month of August to help fill the shelves of ShineOnCass Lending Libraries and local Little Free Libraries. Volunteers will deliver donated books on what would be Cassidy’s 28th birthday on August 31.
New and gently used board books can be donated all month at Camden National Bank at 51 Main Street in Oakland, or at 258 Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville. Cassidy, a 17-year-old Oakland resident who died in a hayride accident in 2014, was an avid reader, youth mentor, and a lifelong community volunteer.
This year’s drive is specifically collecting board books for people to read to babies and toddlers, specifically designed with thick, durable cardboard pages and bright illustrations with simple but engaging text.
“Reading to children in their earliest years – even before they can speak – builds a foundation for language, learning, emotional connection, and begins a positive association with reading,” said Monica Charette, Cassidy’s mother and executive director for ShineOnCass. “When we read aloud to babies and toddlers, we’re not just telling stories; we’re sparking curiosity, shaping developing brains, and planting the seed for lifelong readers.”
Books for older readers will also be distributed by the Foundation. A Little Free Library is a “take a book, share a book” free book exchange in communities nationally and internationally. Thousands of Little Free Libraries, owned and supported by volunteer stewards, are in communities in over 120 countries. Dozens of Little Free Libraries are in central Maine, including ShineOnCass Lending Libraries for children at the Alfond Youth and Community Center, in Waterville, and at Kennebec Valley YMCA, in Augusta.
“Early reading is one of the most powerful tools we have to support a child’s development,” Charette said. “Cassidy was an impassioned reader and an advocate for children. Sharing books is the perfect way to celebrate the day she was born. “
For more information about Cassidy’s Birthday Board Book Drive or the ShineOnCass Foundation, visit shineoncass.org.
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