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Sportsmen Give Gift Of Reading To Center
books
Members of the Oakdale Sportsmens Club recently donated close to 175 books to Oakdales Center for Human Services. The donation was made possible due to club fundraising efforts, as well as a partnership with Usborne books. Photographed are: Julio Rosa, Dennis Dias, Tamberly Stone, David Bellington, Oakdale Police Chief Scott Heller and Delanie Bellington. Teresa Hammond/The Leader

 

Christmas came a little early for the Center for Human Services staff and their clients, by way of a generous book donation made by the Oakdale Sportsmen’s Club.

Last week, board members of the local club delivered close to 175 new books to the West F Street facility in Oakdale in an effort to continue to connect their club to the community.

“We began collecting in October,” board member David Bellington said of club members making donations for the inaugural fundraiser.

Oakdale Sportsmen’s Club partnered with Usborne books to make the most of the funds collected. The club learned of a ‘match’ program offered by the book company, contributing fifty cents for every dollar raised. Through the generous donations of its members and the ‘match’ close to $2,000 was utilized to purchase books for varying ages and reading levels.

CHS Program Coordinator, Tamberly Stone shared her excitement for the generosity of the local club, noting that while some books would remain at the facility, others would be used as rewards and/or incentives for their young readers.

“This will be perfect,” Stone said of the books being utilized in a reading program used by the center to encourage reading.

Bellington shared the club first became associated with the Center for Human Services late into the Holiday season in 2015, when looking for recipients for a Toy Drive the club had conducted.

“We want to do the book drive again next year and hit it even harder,” Club President Dennis Dias said of creating a tradition.