Books on Break Comes to Guilford County

By Patrick Torres, Senior Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships

There's something special about watching a program you believe in step off the page and into a room full of kids.

This week, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Replacements, Ltd., I attended my first Books on Break program at Rankin Elementary School in Guilford County, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

Books on Break is one of the ways Book Harvest works at population level, which means every single student participates. Every child gets to choose 10 free books to take home and keep. No exceptions. No barriers. Just books.

Watching students file into the gym and start browsing was electric. Kids were deliberating, debating, nudging friends toward their favorites. The joy in that room was palpable, and it was hard not to imagine each of them walking through their front door that afternoon, arms full, ready to share what they'd found.

What made this day especially meaningful for me was who made it possible. Tim Watson, Chris Hicks, and a team of volunteers from Replacements, Ltd. showed up — not just as sponsors, but as participants. They rolled up their sleeves, passed out books, restocked tables, and connected with the students who benefitted directly from their support.

Tim put it better than I could:

"Watching the excitement and joy on the children's faces as they had the opportunity to pick out 10 free books of their own for the summer was a powerful reminder of the impact that access to books can have. I left both days feeling that their smiles were gifts I would reflect on for many days to come."

Replacements, Ltd. has built their business around a beautiful idea: that making and maintaining connections is foundational. For more than 40 years, they've been finding what's missing and connecting the right person to the right piece at the right time.

That same spirit showed up at Rankin Elementary. The connections made that day weren't china patterns and customers, but they were children and stories, students and communities, families brought a little closer together by books coming home.

This is what partnership looks like. This is the power of book abundance.

Interested in learning more about Books on Break or bringing it to your own community? Visit https://www.bookharvest.org/books-on-break or contact Megan LeFaivre, Associate Director of Partnerships, School Age Initiatives, at mlefaivre@bookharvest.org for more information.