Happy children left Kareela Village with “new” books in their arms last Tuesday, 17th April, thanks to the awesome parents who brought them to our first ever charity book swap!
The kids’ book swap was a joint initiative of our optometry practice Eyecare Plus Kareela, Kareela Village and Cocoon Early Learning Centre to raise funds for Optometry Giving Sight.
What Is Optometry Giving Sight?
Many people in some parts of the world are needlessly blind or have blurry vision simply because they don’t have access to a comprehensive eye exam or a pair of spectacles. Optometry Giving Sight is a global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error. Clive Miller, global CEO of OGS, states, “There are millions of children around the world whose futures depend on being able to access an eye exam and a pair of glasses.”
While the kids are busy choosing their books, parents are happy to donate a gold coin for OGS.
A Feel Good Event for Everyone
We think it’s great that kids can swap their old books and pick up new books throughout the school holidays. Books are always better than the iPad.
There was a lot of excitement as kids exchanged their old books for new and were asking Mum and Dad to help select from a wide range of books on offer to swap. “Wow” was a common expression. It was wonderful to see the kids going “Look at this, Mummy!” or “This book looks interesting” or “I love reading my books!” Several parents told us this was a great idea and wished establishments would do book swap events more often.
Our practice manager Greg said, “The book swap was a feel good thing for us. The local community really appreciated it as it’s school holidays now and will give the kids time to read.”
After the swap, kids enjoy storytime by the wonderful educators at Cocoon Early Learning Centre.
After the event, our event page was lively with comments from happy parents.
Book Swap Every Day Through the School Holidays!
Due to the very positive response from the locals plus we still have a lot of books for swapping, we’ve decided to let the book swap run every day through the school holidays!
So Dads and Mums from the Sutherland Shire, if you still haven’t visited our kids’ book swap, please bring your kids over with books they’re no longer reading. You can also help transform lives through the gift of vision by giving a gold coin donation for Optometry Giving Sight.
Thanks to everyone who made our book swap memorable and fun!