Recently I stopped by the #LBOT in the Franklin Park Neighborhood of Trenton NJ.  Before the winter is hard upon us I am going to repaint this piece to freshen things up a bit.

While visiting I dropped off a few dozen books and magazines from various sources.  Hard and soft covers including Romance, Philosophy and Youth items picked up from Championship Bar located at 931 Chambers St., and periodicals; Architectural Digest, Highlights for Kids and Quest for Boys donated by www.MagazineLiteracy.org

I have received requests for several boxes recently so stay tuned as this organic effort to address literacy expands!

Have a look at some of images that were captured.

#LBOT or Library Boxes of Trenton has been a rewarding project for me.  As with most of what I do it includes several partners, lots of moving parts and of course civic engagement.

The #LBOT located at the Bethany House of Hospitality continues to warm my heart.  Recently I dropped off ~50 books picked up from #ChampsTrenton and a few dozen magazines from Magazine Literacy.Org

This location moves a lot of reading materials.  The residents who are committed adopters of this #LBOT shared with me that it is used all the time.  They have even expanded to place give away items in good condition near the #LBOT and they are taken as well!

The location is a good one; along a NJ Transit Bus Route, with high volumes of foot traffic, next door to an active church and across the street from a vibrant park.

Have a look at the promotional video regarding the development of the Bethany House of Hospitality - BHOH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-In-A7LOnY

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Did you know Trenton NJ has a Farm!  Have a look and listen to my coverage of the Capital City Farm led by Allegra Lovejoy.

/trenton365/2016/09/capital-city-farm-trenton-nj-september.html

While out and about doing what I do I stopped by this location near the Trenton Police HQ and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen to document this #LBOT.  A few paperbacks were present so I loaded it up with Guideposts Magazines from Magazine Literacy and some romance novels from Champs.

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Biking was my freedom as a "youngster" and I want to help others have that experience.  The biking culture in Trenton NJ is organic, artistic, functional and growing!  From the monthly Trenton Social Ride led by Wills Kinsley, small groups led by cyclist Kevin Duddy, Bike Polo, Tall Bike Modifications and the advocacy group Trenton Cycling Revolution - TCR regularly you can see a diverse collection of people riding bikes in Trenton.

In preparation for the annual Bike Tour of Trenton a small group came together to start the process for the route creation.  This took us to Trenton Coffeehouse and Roaster owned and operated by Abdul Qadir.  During this visit I checked in on the #LBOT adopted by Abdul and created by Arizona Perron.  This #LBOT had a few offerings and appears to be doing just fine.

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In addition to the BHOH, the Capital City Farm and Trenton Coffeehouse and Roaster locations I have received a few calls from others who want to Adopt a #LBOT one of them is Ida Malloy.

Ida who is very civically active contacted me about her "Backyard Book Club" which meets weekly and offers reading materials to the neighborhood children.  Ida received over 200 copies of Highlights Magazine to share and I expect she will need more!

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Each Monday night at Champs Trenton, 931 Chambers St., #LBOT Artist Lori Johansson hosts "Art Chill Night" and on July 24th the theme will be literacy!  Join us as we create art inspired by literacy, sort and package books and magazines that will be delivered throughout the area.

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In closing think about how you can be a part of this effort with your time, talent and treasures!

If you Adopted a #LBOT, we need to hear from you about your experiences so we can support your efforts!

On Friday June 2, 2017 Wanda Webster Stansbury, Founder and Executive Director of CCFA-Center For Child and Family Achievement invited me to the Gregory School for a Book Festival.

Wanda has been a guest on the Trenton 365 Show in the past sharing about her non-profit organization, have a listen to our chat.

https://soundcloud.com/trenton365/wanda-webster-stansbury-center

In addition CCFA and the Gregory School has adopted one of the Library Boxes of Trenton #lbot designed by Artist Lori Johannson.

On this visit like others in the past I delivered Highlights Magazines donated by Magazine Literacy.Org.  This international organization based out of Trenton NJ distributes various reading materials including magazines and periodicals.  Founder and Executive Director John Mennell has been a wonderful partner in my efforts to address literacy in New Jersey's Capital City.

http://magazineliteracy.org/?s=jacque+howard

Have a look at a previous blogpost with CCFA that took place at PJ Hill School in Trenton NJ.

/trenton365/2016/08/esy-pj-hill-school-trenton-nj_18.html

(Some of the following information was taken from the website of the Center for Child and Family Achievement)

I met Wanda W. Stansbury in 2015 when I was contacted about a Art Fundraiser that was taking place in Princeton NJ.  I am a big supporter of Original Art and several of the participating Artists are friends so it was a no brainer for me to support and cover the event.

My initial meeting with Wanda W. Stansbury who is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Child and Family Achievement was a very pleasant one.  I met with Wanda, Fanya Gallo (Co-Chair Special Events) and Artist Tasha O'Neil in space #49 of the Princeton Shopping Center which was also the location of the fundraiser.   After viewing the artwork we chatted, have a listen.

https://soundcloud.com/trenton365/center-for-child-and-family?in=trenton365/sets/center-for-child-and-family

The Center for Child and Family Achievement, believes that parents and children can learn together, and seeks to inspire and to develop stronger academic achievement in children living in poverty from Kindergarten through High School graduation, by addressing the needs of the family.

Since that initial meeting and interview our friendship has grown and included some partnering as we work to build a better community for everyone and address the achievement gap.  The Center for Child and Family Achievement has adopted a Library Box of Trenton NJ and we are working on plans to have #lbots in all of the public schools in Trenton NJ, stay tuned!

I took Wanda up on the offer to visit PJ Hill School in Trenton NJ for the ESY (End of School Year) Celebration but first I stopped by John Mennell's organization Magazine Literacy to pick up some items to share with the children and families.  www.magazineliteracy.org has partnered with Trenton 365 and others to distribute magazines, comics and periodicals.

After picking up ~300 Highlights Magazines and chatting with some workers at the Isles Mill One building, I headed to PJ Hill school.

I chatted with 2 Security Officers who helped me carry the magazines into the gym.  As I moved down the corridor I could smell fresh popcorn, something sweet and could hear the delightful sounds of children enjoying themselves.

The gym was setup with visual displays from the students, several tables with books, a refreshment station provided by a local vendor Lavalles Party Jumps and music.

I grabbed several images of the parents, children and teachers before the crowd went crazy upon the arrival of the ADC Kid mascot Prada Enchilada.  Dancing to some of the most popular dance music Prada Enchilada led the children and adults through several moves and took me back to my "Dance Party USA" and "Dancin on Air" days.  More on that at another time!

I chatted with Trenton Board of Education Superintendent Lucy Ferria and Wanda about the event and some of the expectations going forward.

Have a listen to some of the audio captured at the event.
https://soundcloud.com/trenton365/sets/esy-pj-hill-school-trenton-nj

I also want to give a shoutout to Robinson who I recalled from my days playing basketball at Moody Park and the Lawrence Neighborhood Center.

I also want to give a shoutout to Robinson who I recalled from my days playing basketball at Moody Park and the Lawrence Neighborhood Center.