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McMahon Helps Out Chicago Book Drive
For roughly ten years, Jeff McMahon has been a volunteer reader and supporter of Book ‘Em, a reading advocacy organization based in Nashville, Tennessee. But for the many ways he has supported Book ‘Em, he never anticipated being called upon in the midst of the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill “Soul2Soul II” tour for this unusual contribution: pick up a load of books ... in CHICAGO!
“I had heard from Christine Donovan, a physical education teacher in St. Charles, Illinois a few months earlier,” said McMahon. “Each year, she organizes an outreach project for the students in her school, and she was interested in a story she had read regarding my classroom experiences with the Book ‘Em program.”
“[The children] know that I always encourage them to help others in need,” said Donovan of her students. “They actually came up with the idea of having a book drive themselves. Then I came upon [McMahon’s] website and voilà! An idea was born.”
(Read: Back to Class for “Read Me Day” and McMahon Supports Nashville's "Read Me Day")
Donovan was impressed by Book ‘Em’s longevity, their diverse program options, and their mission to promote reading in schools. Her students agreed and jumped wholeheartedly into their book drive, admirably investing a bit of themselves in the effort. “Each child [that participated] told me that they gave at least one book of their own. So it was a real team effort, and I am very proud of every one of them.”
Coincidentally, McMahon was already hot on the concert trail and headed to Chicago himself for a performance, so he offered to carry the books from Chicago back to Nashville. The folks at Book ‘Em were thrilled and asked McMahon to deliver a certificate of appreciation and bookmarks to all the kids at Bridges Academy.
“I was glad to do it,” said McMahon. “I met [Christine Donovan] at the concert. She had this bright red crate full of books for the kids back in Nashville, ready to go. I just tossed them on the bus and carried ‘em back to Book ‘Em. No sweat!”
The sixty-three students in Ms. Donovan’s class donated forty wonderful new books. Titles included Arthur Goes to School, Dr. Seuss’ “The Foot Book,” The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and, of course, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
The folks at Book ‘Em were quick to share their appreciation: “A big ‘THANK YOU’ to Jeff McMahon, Christine Donovan, and the kids at Bridges Academy from the children in Nashville who will have books of their own.”
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