The Republican's Take on Link to Libraries
June 17, 2009
By: Kyle Reyes
Courtesy of The Republican
Springfield, MA
"I touched the Great Wall of China. I learned how to make French bread from a French chef. And as a child, I traveled all over the world - even though I was an orphan." Susan Jaye-Kaplan traversed the globe growing up, all from the comfort of an overstuffed chair at the Boston Public Library. She "saw" sights she'll never forget, all thanks to the power of books.
It's a thrill that she's helping to pass this on to kids across the state. She and Janet M. Crimmins are co-founders of Link to Libraries Inc., a nonprofit organization that collects books for public elementary schools and other groups across the state, then distributes them to kids of all different cultural backgrounds. "We chose multicultural books because we wanted to really target our audience, which is students from different backgrounds," Jaye-Kaplan said. "We also want kids to get that it's not what you're reading but that you're reading."
Their most recent delivery was to fifth-grade students at Talmadge Elementary School in Springfield. Link to Libraries brought dozens of copies of "Grace for President" to hand out to kids. But first they held a "read-aloud" with the students and discussed the story. It wasn't just a typical class for the kids. The book was about two students running for school president. It's a tight race in the story, and, at times, students listening covered their mouths in surprise. One fifth-grader even pumped her arm in victory when the winner was announced at the end of the story.
"These students are just a fraction of those who will benefit," Jaye-Kaplan said. "There are more than 60,000 kids in Massachusetts that don't own any books. Right now, we have more than 50 organizations waiting to be the recipients of books for these kids." The books are all donated by the community and businesses across New England. Link to Libraries then determines which groups and kids will get the books based on need. "The need was the reason for the mission," said Jaye-Kaplan. "We read that schools across the state were having a budget shortage. Libraries are facing shrinking hours. We know we couldn't change those things, but we could still make a difference."
Speaking to the students before the story began, Jaye-Kaplan shared her own story and explained why they were giving the books to the students. "Growing up in that library, I could be and would be anything in life I wanted to be," she said. "We all want the same thing for you." Her hope, and that of the organization, is to spark enthusiasm and understanding - not just in the students, but in the community around them. "These boys and girls are our future," she said. "They aren't my biological children, but they're all our children."
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(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.
(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.
The Western Mass News crew visited Link to Libraries and helped us label hundreds of books for children in need. Thank you, Western Mass News, for supporting childhood literacy and for being the media partner of Link to Libraries! Watch the video segment below.
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Wednesday, March 5, 2025 – On Friday, February 28, 2025, Link to Libraries brought two children’s book authors, Kari Allen and Carrie Kruck, to share their work and passion for books and reading with students at Sumner Avenue Elementary in Springfield and Lambert-Lavoie Elementary in Chicopee. In addition to sharing stories about their journey to becoming authors, Allen read a book from her Maddie and Mabel early chapter book series and Carrie Kruck shared her debut picture book Iggy Who Breathes Fire. One student at Sumner Avenue Elementary was so inspired by the author visit, she immediately went back to her classroom and wrote and illustrated her own book. Both authors generously donated their time, and Link to Libraries donated a signed copy of their book to every student attending the presentations. “There is no better way to bring books to life for children than to introduce them to the authors who created them,” said Laurie Flynn, President & Chief Executive Officer of Link to Libraries. “We are so grateful to Kari and Carrie for so generously volunteering their time and making this extraordinary day possible. Hundreds of students were captivated by their presentations. You could literally see their eyes light up with excitement and inspiration. That is exactly how we create young readers.” Author Carrie Kruck stated, “The books I read as a child sparked my imagination and introduced me to new ideas and new places. They also inspired me to become a writer, and I’m discovering that my favorite part of being a writer is actually READING – reading with kids, sharing my stories, and hearing their thoughts about books and themselves! Link to Libraries has been igniting that same curiosity, empathy and imagination for over 15 years with their incredible gift of over one million new books to children, and it’s an incredible honor to be working with them to inspire the next generation of readers and writers!” "I have long admired the work that Link for Libraries does in Western Massachusetts,” said author Kari Allen. “Being able to spend the day at these schools and share my love of words with students is such an honor. As a writer who is also a teacher, I see firsthand the impact that books have on children every day. There is nothing more rewarding than witnessing the joy and discovery that takes place as children are learning to read. I love watching them light up when they find a book or story they love and connect with." About Link to Libraries Link to Libraries is proud to be the largest regional distributor of books to underserved youth across Western Massachusetts. The new books that Link to Libraries provides are gifts that enable children, many of whom have never owned a book before, to begin building a home library. To date, Link to Libraries has more than 1,000,000 new books to local children and school libraries. Link to Libraries sponsors 75 schools in need throughout Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut.
By Ron Chimelis | rchimelis@repub.com (Masslive) The Toy for Joy campaign is in its final stages, but a late surge in donations will make countless children and families happy this Christmas. The campaign deadline of Dec. 24 comes so quickly. But donations received just before or on that date, or in the mail just after the deadline, count just as much and will go directly toward providing toys, games and books to children from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. Even a contribution mailed on the deadline day of Dec. 24 is applied to the cause. Now in its 102nd year, Toy for Joy has again been sponsored by the Salvation Army, which has been involved with the drive since the 1950s. The organization’s citadels in Springfield, Holyoke and Greenfield have been distributing gifts to deserving children. Promoting literacy among children has been a Toy for Joy mission for years. This year, Link to Libraries again supported the cause in a major way by providing 1,000 brand new, age-appropriate books to the Salvation Army. “These books are worth approximately $5,000 in all. Last year, we donated 600, so we were able to nearly double it this year,” said Amy Anderlonis, executive vice-president of the Hampden-based Link to Libraries nonprofit. “We think books are the best gift. To make it happen, we rely on the generosity of local businesses,” Anderlonis said. “For many children, their first book comes from us. Salvation Army was having some trouble getting age-appropriate books, but we think partnering with them helps all of us, and the children.” Anderlonis said Link to Libraries was formed in 2008 out of deep concern that so many children in school struggle because of reading challenges. The agency has donated over one million books, at an average of more than 50,000 per year, to encourage a lifelong love of reading by children. Armed with quality toys and books for the children, Toy for Joy is promoted and advertised by The Republican, Reminder Publishing, MassLive and El Pueblo Latino. All contributions will be recognized and published in The Republican and Reminder Publications, and online by MassLive.com.
