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No. 1 UA soccer remains perfect, Zips football defeats rival Flashes
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Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
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Wrestling, bowling teams prepare for season
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Bigger And Better Boondoggles
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Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
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RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
By Katie Byard
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 12:26 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2009
Eleven-year-old Raynard Whitthorne snapped up the book about Barack Obama.
Tyler Hill, 10, went for the latest Harry Potter. ''I want to see if the book is the same as the movie.''
Raynard, Tyler and other students didn't pay a dime for their finds at a book fair last week at Lincoln Elementary School in South Akron, in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
The books were gifts — donated by a small Akron church.
Book by book, New Covenant Community Church of West Akron has been nurturing the love of reading, stocking the home shelves of Lincoln students for more than a decade.
Each year, church members have donated enough money for each student to get his or her own book — an estimated 4,000 books since the late 1990s.
The mission took root after a conversation between a pastor and a Lincoln school counselor.
''A lot of churches give food and clothing,'' said Betsy Davis, a church member from Akron. ''The counselor suggested giving children books.''
New Covenant members contributed about $1,500 this year for the program, said church Treasurer Dick Wagner. The project is one of the largest outreach endeavors of the 115-member New Covenant, a non-denominational Christian church with Presbyterian roots.
''We must have a lot of readers at church,'' said Davis, searching for a way to explain the project's longevity.
Teachers and the school librarian Veronica Nestich choose the books offered at the fair. The Borders store in Fairlawn sells the books at a discount.
''There's so many good books, but you can only pick one,'' said Tyler.
New Covenant members know books can be an adventure, said Keyana Thomas, 11. ''Sometimes you can sit down and read a book and you have company.''
Church members keep the book mission going, she said, because ''they don't want students to just sit down in front of the TV.''
Lejend Cook, 11, figures it's this simple: ''When they give us books, we say thank you.''
The thank-you notes are indeed a delight, Davis said. Many of them will say, '' 'God bless our church,' and 'I go to church every Sunday.' ''
One note this year said, ''These books are the television of my mind,'' said school librarian Nestich.
A group of church members is on hand at the fair to meet the students and affix bookplates featuring the children's names.
This year, the bookplates also boast the words ''Lincoln School 1910-2009.''
This year's fair was the last for Lincoln school, which is one of the five Akron district schools closing at the end of the academic year because of declining enrollment.
But church members likely will continue the program somewhere in the district, Davis said.
The Lincoln building will remain open, temporarily housing McEbright Elementary School students while their new school is being constructed.
The new McEbright school is expected to be ready by the fall of 2012.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
Eleven-year-old Raynard Whitthorne snapped up the book about Barack Obama.
Tyler Hill, 10, went for the latest Harry Potter. ''I want to see if the book is the same as the movie.''
Raynard, Tyler and other students didn't pay a dime for their finds at a book fair last week at Lincoln Elementary School in South Akron, in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
The books were gifts — donated by a small Akron church.
Book by book, New Covenant Community Church of West Akron has been nurturing the love of reading, stocking the home shelves of Lincoln students for more than a decade.
Each year, church members have donated enough money for each student to get his or her own book — an estimated 4,000 books since the late 1990s.
The mission took root after a conversation between a pastor and a Lincoln school counselor.
''A lot of churches give food and clothing,'' said Betsy Davis, a church member from Akron. ''The counselor suggested giving children books.''
New Covenant members contributed about $1,500 this year for the program, said church Treasurer Dick Wagner. The project is one of the largest outreach endeavors of the 115-member New Covenant, a non-denominational Christian church with Presbyterian roots.
''We must have a lot of readers at church,'' said Davis, searching for a way to explain the project's longevity.
Teachers and the school librarian Veronica Nestich choose the books offered at the fair. The Borders store in Fairlawn sells the books at a discount.
''There's so many good books, but you can only pick one,'' said Tyler.
New Covenant members know books can be an adventure, said Keyana Thomas, 11. ''Sometimes you can sit down and read a book and you have company.''
Church members keep the book mission going, she said, because ''they don't want students to just sit down in front of the TV.''
Lejend Cook, 11, figures it's this simple: ''When they give us books, we say thank you.''
The thank-you notes are indeed a delight, Davis said. Many of them will say, '' 'God bless our church,' and 'I go to church every Sunday.' ''
One note this year said, ''These books are the television of my mind,'' said school librarian Nestich.
A group of church members is on hand at the fair to meet the students and affix bookplates featuring the children's names.
This year, the bookplates also boast the words ''Lincoln School 1910-2009.''
This year's fair was the last for Lincoln school, which is one of the five Akron district schools closing at the end of the academic year because of declining enrollment.
But church members likely will continue the program somewhere in the district, Davis said.
The Lincoln building will remain open, temporarily housing McEbright Elementary School students while their new school is being constructed.
The new McEbright school is expected to be ready by the fall of 2012.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
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