Springfield school students gifted books as part of literacy program
December 17, 2024
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – MGM Springfield is partnering with “Link to Libraries” to support literacy in Springfield Public Schools.
The literacy organization works with companies to increase access to reading for children. Since the start of the program in 2008, Link to Libraries has distributed over one million new books to school and home libraries statewide.
On Tuesday morning MGM Springfield and representatives from Link to Libraries hosted a holiday book reading party at the White Street School in Springfield, donating books to the children to bring home for the holiday break.
“We are celebrating the season of giving,” explained Jennifer McGrath, Director of Philanthropy and Community Engagement for MGM Springfield. “If this doesn’t grow your heart 3 times the size, I don’t know what will.”
MGM Springfield also presented a check for $2,500 to Link to Libraries to support them in their efforts.
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Link to Libraries CEO and President Laurie Flynn was honored to sit down with Patrick Berry of 22News for an in-depth interview about Link to Libraries and its impact in the community.
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Link to Libraries, a non-profit organization that provides millions of books to children received a generous donation from Balise Toyota in West Springfield.
Link to Libraries CEO and President Laurie Flynn was honored to sit down with Patrick Berry of 22News for an in-depth interview about Link to Libraries and its impact in the community.
We asked our expert Laurie Flynn, President and CEO of Link to Libraries, to help us come up with some creative ways to make reading fun!
Link to Libraries, a non-profit organization that provides millions of books to children received a generous donation from Balise Toyota in West Springfield.
(Western Mass News) Getting Answers: April 20 Dave Madsen, thank you for having us to talk about all things Link to Libraries, including our upcoming gala and the launch of the Stephen Kaplan & Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund! What a treat to have a longer format interview and to be able to cover so much! We are so grateful to you and to our media sponsor Western Mass News. (Note to viewers - you can fast forward through what would have been the ad space to see the full interview!) View Video on Western Mass News
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Wednesday, April 9, 2025 – Link to Libraries announced today that they will be launching the “Stephen Kaplan and Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund” at their upcoming gala on Thursday, May 8th at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This fund is being established as a tribute to Link to Libraries founder Susan Jaye-Kaplan and to her husband, Steve, who passed away in January after a long battle with cancer. Monies raised will be used to enable Link to Libraries to provide community partners with books for children and families in need. “Sue Kaplan founded Link to Libraries in 2008, with Steve cheering her on and supporting Link to Libraries’ mission in every way” said Laurie Flynn, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Known throughout the community for their generous hearts and dedication to bettering the lives of those in need, this feels like the appropriate time to honor them both by establishing a fund that will enable Link to Libraries to better support other local nonprofits who are focused on giving children a chance at brighter futures. Steve’s passing was a terrible loss to our Link to Libraries family, to the Western Massachusetts community and to all who knew and loved him. We hope that this tribute will be a living reminder of Sue and Steve’s tireless work and passion for improving the lives of others.” Flynn continued, “While most of Link to Libraries work is done through underserved elementary schools, we frequently receive requests from other local nonprofits for book donations to support their own work with children and families in need. This fund will enable us to say ‘yes’ to many more of those requests in the future.” The Link to Libraries biennial gala will take place on Thursday, May 8th at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The event will be held from 6:00-9:00pm and will include cocktails, dinner and an auction. Tickets can be purchased at linktolibraries.org . All proceeds will be used to directly support Link to Libraries’ programming.
Western Mass News Cares partnered with Link to Libraries to do a commercial on the important work we do to support childhood literacy and ways for the community to get involved. Books open doors to infinite possibilities and we are so grateful to have Western Mass News spread the word about Link to Libraries. View the commercial below.
