Olsson's Book Drive Delivers to D.C. Schools

Olsson’s Books and Records recently delivered approximately 2,000 books and $1,200 in gift certificates to three Washington, D.C., schools directly affected by the terrorist strikes of September 11. The donations were the result of a book drive held by Olsson’s between October and December.

Backus Middle School, Ketchum Elementary School, and Leckie Elementary School each lost a student and a teacher on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on the morning of the attacks. The students, with the teachers as chaperones, had been on their way to a five-day, National Geographic Society-sponsored field study of the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, California.

After hearing of the tragedy, Olsson’s, which has nine stores in the D.C. area, wanted to do something to honor the three students and three teachers. "We called the D.C. school board, and they suggested a book drive," said Alicia Greene, marketing manager for Olsson’s. "They provided us with a list of books [the schools needed], and we set up displays in the children’s section, offering the titles at a 30 percent discount."

Olsson’s advertised the book drive on its Web site and in its weekly e-mail and placed laminated, gift-wrapped boxes prominently at the front of store as a collection point for the donated books.

And customers responded, said Greene, noting that book drives tend to be successful because people can see the results of their efforts readily. "Customers knew that the books were going directly to the schools," she explained. "I think that kind of simplicity helps."

A wide array of publishers also donated books to the schools, Greene continued, including Scholastic, Sleeping Bear Press, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner, Penguin Putnam, and Random House.

The book drive presentation was held at Backus Middle School. Present for the event were District of Columbia Board of Education President Peggy Cooper Cafritz; Assistant Superintendent Vera White; and the principals of Backus Middle School, Ketchum Elementary School, and Leckie Elementary School. -- David Grogan