Reading Reflections was founded in memory of our grandparents, Edith and Morris Mendelsohn. Our grandparents were teachers who dedicated their lives to the education of their children, grandchildren and children of their communities. It is they who inspired our feeling for the importance of education and our passion for reading.
This inspiration has lead to us helping millions of children around the world who do not have easy access to books. We are helping to ensure that thousands of books are placed in the hands of eager youngsters.
The project began when our dear family friend who is Guyanese sustained a devastating loss: her nephew, a twenty-two-year-old police detective, was brutally murdered. Our friend had been spearheading a campaign to found a school library that was in dire need of educational materials. To honor this young detective's memory, we dedicated our time and effort to creating a library that would provide a wealth of educational resources for the children of the Al-Madinah Islamic Academy. It was immensely rewarding to contribute towards the educational development of children in another country.
We received so many books that we had to look for places locally that could use the surplus. When we saw the tremendous need for books both locally and in impoverished areas globally, we continued to request book donations, organize events with local organizations, and help build libraries throughout New York, New Jersey and oversees. Many children we have helped often have not owned a book in their lives and it is heartwarming to see the expressions on parents' faces when they are able to give their children this precious gift.
As our project progressed, we began to enlist the help of our community. With the assistance of local school drives, bookstores, publishers, and an amazing group of volunteers, Reading Reflections has grow into the largest book donation and collection cnter on Long Island. Our initial collection of books tripled, and then tripled again, until our garages were stacked to the ceiling with thousands of books. As more shipments arrived, our infatuation with the effort grew. To date, we have donated more than 2.5 million books to children in need locally and abroad.