Read to Me book drive ongoing at Kirtland

  • Published
  • By Jim Fisher
  • Kirtland Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The second annual Read to Me Book Drive is in full swing on Kirtland and competition between units to collect book donations is heating up.

The drive, which collects donated children's books in the infant through middle-school range, runs through March 31, according to project officer Valerie Lindsay, an analyst with the Air Force Inspection Agency.

"We're looking for books for babies up to middle school-aged children," Lindsey said. "People can drop off their donated books to our collection points at AFIA and the Air Force Safety Center, or if they email me, I will be happy to come and pick them up."

The program, which gets city-wide contributions from schools and business in the Albuquerque area, is conducted by the Albuquerque Business Education Compact, Lindsey said. On Kirtland, AFIA and AFSEC are joined by Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center as participating agencies in the drive. However, people outside these agencies can contribute. Ultimately, the books will go to underprivileged young readers.

"We have a friendly competition going between the participating agencies--AFIA is now briefly in the lead, with the Safety Center close behind," Lindsey said. "Nearly 200 books have been collected so far."

Organizers hope the competing agencies and donors across Kirtland combine to match last year's donation of more than 2,000 books. Large donations came from parents with children who had outgrown their children's books, people who purchased used collections online and people who opted to purchase books from Barnes and Noble, which supports the Read to Me program locally.

"It's a worthy cause. Children's books are relatively inexpensive, so buying a book to donate is also an option," Lindsey said.

For more information, contact Lindsey at valerie.lindsey@us.af.mil.