The Molina Book Foundation at WHS

Karla Manzanares, Staff Writer

As winter approached nothing sounded better than curling up near a fireplace with a book. Unfortunately, many children depended on the public library to quench their thirst of knowledge but since COVID hit many public libraries were forced to close. It was almost like a Christmas miracle when LBUSD found itself the recipient of a $655,000 donation of books. 

The Molina Foundation is  a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to focus on reducing disparities in access to education and health. Their founder, Mary Martha Molina Bernadett states on their official website that “Since its inception in 2004, The Molina Foundation has worked with more than 2,500 organizations and schools towards this end, donating over 5.5 million books and hosting workshops and programs for educators and families.”  

Towards the end of 2020, LBUSD was fortunate enough to receive a donation of books from the local Molina Foundation. The surplus of books were distributed throughout LBUSD but focused on schools in low income neighborhoods. Not only did the books range from a variety of genres such as cookbooks, nonfiction, and picture books but they also ranged in reading age levels. Wilson’s own Teacher Librarian, Lia Ladas, shared that Wilson received a variety of books ranging from kindergarten through high school level reading.  Initially Ms. Ladas and Ms. Richardson (our Wilson Media Assistant) were overwhelmed with the amount of books they received, but after a week of sorting the books, they were ready to be distributed. Two giveaway days were held and several hundred books found new homes with Wilson families. In the last week of  December, the Library worked with the cafeteria staff to give away the books during meal distribution. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Wilson students are allowed to come on campus (while complying with social distancing regulations) in order to pick up their breakfast/lunch for the week. While picking up their food students were granted the opportunity to choose any books they wish among the selection in the cafeteria. Not only were they allowed to choose books for themselves, they were also permitted to grab books for younger siblings. Students also had the additional opportunity to talk about many of the books with Ms. Christine, the cafeteria supervisor, who is an avid reader herself. 

This amazing opportunity couldn’t  have been done without the generous donation from the Molina Foundation and Wilson’s hardworking library team. If you missed out on the opportunity to snag some phenomenal books don’t stress just yet! Wilsons library is now online and offers Curbside Checkout! In just a few quick easy steps you can check out a few of your favorite books. Wilson’s lovely librarian Ms. Ladas enthusiastically informed me that once you log into your student portal you just need to click on the Destiny Discover tile and you’ll be on your way to checking out some great books. For more directions on how to place a book on hold. Check out the link in the Wilson Library’s bio on Instagram @lbwilsonlibrary!