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Volunteer Spotlight
Since recovering from a stroke, Poppaea "Poppy" Dere says, "I was looking for a place where I could have a real impact, feel a sense of purpose, and enjoy working with good people." When a friend told her about volunteering at the Children's Book Project, Poppy promptly came to our Book Bank to check out what we're all about, and got right down to work counting and sorting donated children's books.
A retired social worker, during her college years Poppy chose to study in the children's section of the library, which always offered a welcome distraction from her coursework. "I've always loved books, especially children's books," she says. "I grew up in libraries in Philadelphia. I walked to the library every Saturday and befriended the librarian. I'd check out the maximum number of books, read them all, and return them the following Saturday." Poppy devoured adventure stories with irrepressible characters, from Eloise and From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to Harriet the Spy. Now in a book group that exclusively reads NY Times bestsellers for adults, she's happily getting reacquainted with old favorites and discovering wonderful new adventure books for kids. Although she came to the Children's Book Project with no prior knowledge of our mission, Poppy says, "I caught the vision! I'm so excited to help get books into the hands of children who need them."
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