Mar. 13—Local resident Helen Mountjoy is working to collect book donations written by or about women to gift to girls at Girls Inc. for Women’s History Month.
The project, Mountjoy said, is not only to empower women and girls and teach young girls at Girls Inc. about other inspiring women, but also to encourage reading and education.
Education is important to Mountjoy, a retired educator.
“We know from research that children who grow up reading become adults who are thoughtful and active in their communities,” she said, “and certainly that is something that (Girls Inc.) is trying to instill in the girls.”
Moutjoy did a similar project last year, however, the books donated were meant to be kept in the Girls Inc. library for all of the girls to read.
She said she was originally inspired by a quote from former associate justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg — “Never underestimate the power of a girl with a book.”
“It got me thinking about how books might help empower girls and young women,” Mountjoy said.
This year, Mountjoy said she wanted to ensure each girl got a book of her own to take home and keep.
“We thought some of the girls might not have books of their own at home, at least not ones age appropriate for them,” she said.
The books will be handed out to girls on Tuesday, March 15 — Ginsberg’s birthday — during Women’s History Month.
So far, Mountjoy said about 250 books have been collected, but more are still needed to ensure each girl ages 8 to 16 gets a book to take home.
The first donation, she said, came from a women’s book club, “Married Ladies Reading Club,” which Mountjoy said really got the ball rolling on donations this year and was a fitting donation from a group of women who love reading and discussing literature.
The project, she said, has received a wide variety of donations, many books that donors read themselves growing up, like “Charlotte’s Web,” “Nancy Drew” and “Little Women.”
They have also received many biographies about inspiring women, like Amelia Earhart and Ginsburg.
“We’ve had contributions of all different sizes,” Mountjoy said. “It’s really easy for people to participate in this and know that something they’re doing that costs very little can make a difference in a girl’s life.”
Anyone interested in making a monetary or book donation can do so by mailing or dropping a donation off at Girls Inc, 2130 East 19th St.
Christie Netherton, [email protected], 270-691-7360
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