On Nov. 22, patients at MUSC Children’s Hospital received a special treat of 1,300 books to help brighten their days.
East Cooper Montessori Charter School student Alec Robinovitz has been collecting books for the hospital for three consecutive years. Now a fifth grader, he is joined this year in his efforts by his sister, Amanda, who is a first grader at the school. In the past two years, Alec has donated 3,000 books to the hospital. The goal this year is to donate more than another 3,000, and the Robinovitz kids are well on their way.
Alec and Amanda both love to read and wanted to help sick children feel less scared and sad when they had to visit the hospital. Back in September of 2007, Alec began the process by asking for donations of new and gently books from classmates, family, friends, and people in his I’On neighborhood. With the help of his grandmother, he was also able to partner with a class at the Center School in Highland Park, NJ where students collected and donated books to help with the project. The second year, Alec researched the names of publishers of children’s books and began writing to them asking for donations. New books began arriving almost daily on the Robinovitz doorstep. Companies like Abdo, Penguin, Lerner, Orca, Capstone, Patria, and School Zone sent hundreds of new books. With their help, Robinovitz was able to donate more than 2,000 books that second year.
This year the Robinovitz brother and sister team are hard at work at their goal of more than 3,000 books. Publishers are coming through with more donations including local nature series author, Suzanne Tate. Friends, neighbors, relatives, classmates and students of the Center School continue to pitch in with donations too. One relative sent some money, and the Robinovitz’s purchased coloring books into which they taped crayons.
After receiving the books, Alec and Amanda group and package the books in categories such as preschool, elementary, teen, etc. to facilitate distribution. After making arrangements with the nurses at the hospital, they load the books in the car and deliver them, now at least twice a year due to the volume.
Nurse Tressa Heinen, Site Coordinator- Reach Out and Read, was waiting for Alec and Amanda with a wagon and carts to load the books into the hospital. The nurses and staff will distribute the books to children receiving long-term treatment, those in the Emergency Room and those coming to the hospital’s Clinic for Cystic Fibrosis, Endocrine Clinic, and Hemonc Clinic.
This year books will also go to a new program where children will come for procedures such as bone marrow tests. The Robinovitz’s have received many letters from the staff at the hospital describing how much these books mean to the patients and their families. Notes have come from patients themselves.
This year, Alec had what he described as one of the most meaningful experiences with his project. A friend of his was hospitalized, upon his return to school, reported to Alec that he had received one of his books and how it cheered him up. This is what Alec and his sister, Amanda, are trying to do for every child receiving care, at MUSC.