The Madison Police Department’s Community Outreach and Resource Education team held their first free book fair Monday, inviting community members of all ages to browse for books in hopes of bringing the city together and creating connections with the CORE team.
The event was inspired by Madison Metropolitan School District’s Read Your Heart Out program , where the district invited family members, community members and volunteers who identify as Black and African American into classrooms to read books and tell stories in celebration of National African American Parent Involvement Day.
One of those volunteers was Officer Tyrone Cratic Williams, who had the opportunity to connect with kids through reading books. He said he was inspired by the event, deciding that with spring break around the corner, “what better time than to continue to promote reading, literacy and community engagement?”
After discussing this idea with the rest of the CORE team, his book fair plan became a reality. Various organizations and individuals throughout the community, including the Madison Public Library, donated books, and MPD worked with the Madison School & Community Recreation, an organization tied to MSSD, to get the book fair running.
The book fair provided books for all age ranges, from board books for toddlers to fiction books for young adults. Books were free of charge in the hopes of continuing to encourage literacy in Madison throughout spring break. Any remaining books not picked up by community members were dispersed throughout Madison’s Free Little Libraries.
Along with the books, the CORE team provided snacks and arts and crafts, hoping to create a space to encourage reading and connect neighbors within the community.
“I’m always in the mindset that we’re the police department and we receive donations from the community, so we should be proactive in continuing to give back,” Williams told The Daily Cardinal.
Looking to the future, Williams said he wants to see the book fair continue. “As long as we continue to have assets to give to the community, we’re gonna continue to do this.”
Staff Writer
