Concordia students and faculty promote literacy as part of World Book Night

On Tuesday, April 23, thousands of volunteers across the United States, including 17 from Concordia, gave away half a million free books to light or non-readers.

The event, known as World Book Night, promotes reading by handing out free copies of 32 book titles to those with limited access to printed books or to those who wouldn’t normally pick up a book on their own.

Concordia’s chapters of Pi Kappa Delta and Sigma Tau Delta worked with faculty, Chapters Books and Gifts and 15 other Seward residents to distribute nearly a thousand books across Seward and surrounding communities. They visited nursing homes, sporting events, hospitals and other community organizations to share their love of reading by passing out books.

“The volunteer book givers are wonderful, generous and passionate people,” said Carl Lennertz, executive director of World Book Night U.S. “World Book Night is not a random giveaway, but a focused attempt to reach people in communities who would benefit from the gift of a book. It is a specific and personal act of kindness, sharing a book with someone you don’t know.”

World Book Night in the U.S. is a nonprofit organization supported by publishers, Barnes & Noble, the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, Ingram Content Group, FedEx, and a host of printers and paper companies. A full list of sponsors can be found at worldbooknight.org.