Astor Home For Children Book Drive

I am reaching out to you today with an opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of young children in our communities. Our book fundraiser is for the children of Astor Home for Children, Rhinebeck, NY. We would be honored if you could join us in supporting this worthy cause.

As you may know, children's books play a vital role in shaping young minds, fostering imagination, and promoting literacy skills.

Unfortunately, many children do not have access to a diverse range of books due to financial and circumstantial constraints. Our fundraiser aims to bridge this gap and provide children with the opportunity to discover the joy of reading.

By making a donation to our children's book fundraiser, you will be contributing to the enrichment of countless young lives.

As many of you know, several years ago I became a New York State certified foster and adoption parent. Since then, I've worked with various agencies as a foster mother, specifically with the Astor Home For Children in Rhinebeck, NY.

The children who reside at the Astor Home, (at any given point in time at least 50 children are housed there- some for months, many for years), are there as a last resort. These children have witnessed or faced life threatening events that have impacted on them physically, emotionally and mentally, forcing their removal from their own homes. I cannot adequately describe the theft of personal security that these young children have experienced. They have also been robbed of their childhood... but not of their innocence.

It is this innocence that I wish to preserve, and hope to have your help in achieving through this book fundraiser. Hope is key in this book drive that I've coordinated with my niece, Cristina Lam - a new mother herself of two small boys, Sebastian and Lorenzo. Cristina revels in the quiet joy of reading to her boys as they also learn to read for themselves. She's witness to the smiles on Bash's (Sebastian!) face as he reads about becoming a doctor, astronaut, firefighter or police officer or anything he wants to be when he grows up. Enzo (Lorenzo), his baby brother, follows in his older brother's footsteps in exploring our world through books. It is with profound hope that Cristina envisions a wide choice of careers for her boys, as Bash and Enzo learn that they can achieve and thrive through a strong foundation in literacy.

It is that same hope - to not let the Astor Home children feel confined or defined by their current living situation - that propels me to help populate the very small on-site Astor Home "library". When I first became involved with Astor Home in 2020, this library consisted of a wooden bookshelf holding less than 20 books. Each year since, I've collaborated with Cristina through her Brand Partner position with PaperPie in selecting and purchasing new books, books sets and age-appropriate puzzles for the children at Astor Home.

This year, I'd like to expand our Astor Home library building program with your help. As described by Dr. Ben Carson, former Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who was raised in abject poverty and harrowing living conditions, he found his way out of these horrific circumstances through reading. Dr. Carson confirms the importance of literacy in his book, Gifted Hands, an autobiography reflective of how his life changed when he felt hopeful of a world outside of his current situation through reading and education.

We firmly believe that every child deserves the chance to explore the limitless possibilities that lie within the pages of books. To this end, Cristina and I have carefully curated a unique selection of children's books and educational materials that we wish to gift to the children residing at Astor Home. However, we cannot achieve this vision without the generosity and support of compassionate individuals like you.

Through this funding platform. please contribute to our children's fundraiser. No amount is too small and every donation will make a meaningful impact on the lives of children who otherwise might not have the opportunity to learn and hope through reading.

Additionally, please share this opportunity with your friends, family and colleagues who many also be interested in supproting our cause. Together, we can create a ripple effect to empower future generations through the magic of storytelling.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and consideration. Your donation will bring joy, knowledge and inspiration to the young minds that most need this support.

Please feel absolutely welcome to contact us with any questions you may have.

Our best to you and yours,

Lina and Cristina