On Friday May 6, 2016 in Trenton NJ the “Books On The Block
1.0” event took place at Championship Bar located at 931 Chambers St.
Several individuals and organizations committed to literacy
efforts in Trenton, NJ participated.
Local Artists upcycled newspaper boxes into Library Boxes and
painted Book Nooks that will be distributed through a network of locations
throughout Trenton, including Barbershops, Businesses, Organizations and individual
residents.
Partnering
Organizations
Trenton 365 founder and project coordinator
Jacque Howard, explained that this project is an “adoption model” meaning that
individuals, businesses or organizations will initially receive the repurposed
newspaper boxes for free along with a load of used books. The adopters will commit to manage the boxes
and surrounding area. (Excerpt from Mercerme.com)
United
Way of Greater Mercer County is a nonprofit organization that, among other
goals, works to enhance and promote early childhood literacy. We are
proud to partner with our friends in Trenton and the Books on the Block
program. Through these efforts, we know that we can help blanket the city of
Trenton with books and increase access to literacy. Megan Kirschner
The
Trenton Free Public Library wholly supports Books on the Block, which reflects
our mission of being a bridge that connects the community to literacy, guides
learning, and inspires curiosity. Rochelle Stern
Trenton Makes—Words! is a community initiative to foster the
vocabulary development of Trenton children age 5 and under through parent-child
engagement experiences with art, music, history, and science. The
partnership between The New Jersey State Museum, Trenton Community Music
School, and The Children's Home Society is supported by PNC Grow Up Great
and offers city-wide engaging educational programs and festivals for
parents/caregivers and their young children.
Trenton Makes - Words! will be holding a Pop-Up at the Books on
the Block event on May 6th, where there will be activities for parents and
children including music, arts and crafts, and storytelling to promote fun and
learning. Caitlin Fair
All
of the change-makers part of Code for Trenton are excited to enjoy the honor of
joining with others to make the library boxes and book nooks happen all over
Trenton. We're excited about using mapping technology and social media to
facilitate and support. This is profound stuff - putting the written word in
the hands of every child and adult fosters a culture of knowledge, of literacy,
and of a future that we build ourselves from the bottom-up rather than being
told how to. Personally this matters so much to me; as a born and raised proud
Trentonian, and as a person who feels that reading, writing, and knowledge is
what will get the entire city moving forward, regardless of the craziness that
is in our way. Adam Porroni
My Brothers Keeper
President Obama’s national My
Brother’s Keeper initiative is a challenge to communities to come together in
addressing opportunity and achievement gaps that young men of color face. With
the White House’s guidance, the Capital City My Brother’s Keeper initiative is
an effort to support existing and new community led initiatives that address
issues of chronic absenteeism, early literacy, and employability.
The City of Trenton, through the
Capital City My Brother’s Keeper initiative, is pleased to support a community
led and driven initiative that will increase access to literacy resources for
our children and the City at large. Early literacy is a critical component of
Trenton’s continued revitalization. Alex Rivera
Refreshments
were available for purchase from the WTF? Where’s The Food Truk”
DJ – Flea Market entertained the crowd with a mix of music.
Participating Artists included:
William
Kasso
Leon Rainbow
Wills Kinsley
Tamara Ramos
Jonathan Conner
Jamaila Hernandez
Jesse Vincent
Billy MF Brown aka Roy Hames
Aylin Green
Lori Johannson
Bruce Lindsay
Antoinette Marchfelder
Jodi Walker
Chelsea Perron
Bayron
Calderon
Jamie
Peck
On
Thursday June 2, 2016 the Library Boxes and Book Nooks were unveiled to the
public.
To
date ~10 boxes and nooks have been adopted and Library Boxes of Trenton is
proud to announce that Prometheus Publishing has signed on as a sponsor! (More
information coming soon)
If
you have questions, would like to participate or have some words of
encouragement please email
libraryboxesoftrenton@gmail.com
All images captured by Lifestyle By Amans Brindled - www.amansbrindled.com
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| Delivery of Lori Johansson's box to the Gregory School adopted by the Center For Child and Family Achievement ED Wanda Stansbury |
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| Linda Barton picking up a Book Nook |
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| Artist Tamara Torres |
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| Artist Jesse Vincent |
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| Artist Bruce Lindsay |
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| Artist Will Kasso |
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| Artist Jodi Walker of The Bat Factory |
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| Artist Antoinette Marchfelder |
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| Artist Jamaila Hernandez |
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| Artist Lori Johansson |
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| Artist Chelsea Perron |
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| Artist Jonathan Conner |
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| Adam Porroni of Code For Trenton and Rochelle Stern of the Trenton Free Public Library |
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| Jacque Howard of LBOT and Prometheus Publishing's Bart Jackson |
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| Kathleen Capria and Marylinda Perry of Franklin Parks NE Block Association |
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| Artist Bruce Lindsay |
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| Artist Jules Muck |
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| Artist Jules Muck and Champs Manager Nikki Nailbomb |
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| Artist Aylin Green |
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| Tim McRae of the WTF? Wheres The Food Truk |
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| Caitlin Fair of Trenton Makes Words |
