Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011 - (Page 33)

age and interest, a general donation suddenly becomes a group of individualized gifts. She, my brother, and I all remembered magical evenings curled up with a book and a stuffed pal, and thought that perhaps this way, other little kids could be given the same experience. After a few phone calls, Eva’s Village, a women’s and children’s shelter in nearby Paterson, New Jersey, expressed interest in accepting the packages. We promised them at least 50 Book Buddies with our first delivery. When we mentioned the idea to a neighbor, she was more than happy to offer us some of her family’s gently used stuffed animals. We now had about twice as many stuffed animals as books, so we turned to one of America’s most underrated resources: the local library. We placed Book Buddy Boxes in several library lobbies, along with signs explaining our plan to library patrons. A few weeks of waiting brought a flood of gently used books—nearly 200 usable copies. At this point, we grabbed some ribbon and got to work pairing books and stuffed animals and bundling them together. One hundred and twenty-seven packages later (we doubled up the smaller books), we were ready to make a delivery to Eva’s Village. We drove up to the Visitors’ Center in an icy January drizzle, expecting to drop the boxes off quickly and quietly. Miss Josephine (Eva’s head receptionist, who happens to be the human embodiment of sunshine) wouldn’t hear of it. The second we entered the building, laden with boxes, she sang out, “The Campbells are here,” drawing a small crowd to take the boxes from us. Our experience at Eva’s wasn’t over, though. Our little group shuﬄed over to the Education Center for a personal delivery to some very excited children. Suddenly, we (and our boxes filled with stuffed bunnies and I Spy) became rock stars. We learned later that almost all of these kids had come to the shelter in desperate situations, with little more than a suitcase of necessities. Most of them had very few toys to speak of, if any, and most books were those provided by their schools. There was no shortage of hands ready to take hold of a new Book Buddy, and the excitement in the air was reminiscent of Christmas. Books and toys that had just been taking up space in my basement instantly became treasures, and I was reminded of just how much I take for granted. After two hours of distributing and reading books to children, we had to leave, but promised to return. We came back again. And again. And again. So far, we have delivered Book Buddies to over 600 kids at Eva’s. W e have expanded to include new drop boxes across the state, attracted new community volunteers, and created a website. As long as there are books, stuffed animals, and children like Malik who want them, Book Buddies will keep growing. Because whether it’s a dog, a monkey, or anything in between, we know that they are valuable in someone’s eyes, and that someone is valuable in all of our eyes. Tori Campbell is a senior at the Pingry School in Martinsville, NJ. She enjoys songwriting, attending youth group, and raising money for her occasional trips to China, such as the one she took this summer. www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine imagine 33 http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Physics Is…
Making the Team
Nuclear by Nature
Physics: The Next Generation
Telescopic Views
Exploring the Mysterious Lives of Stars
Around the Universe in Three Weeks
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Book Buddies
Meeting the (Economics) Challenge
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - September/October 2011