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On November 29, 2007, student-athletes and the athletics department staff from Holy Family University attended Thomas Holme Elementary School, a neighborhood school in Northeast Philadelphia, and participated in an assembly program which celebrated the culmination of the Department's "Build A Library" community engagement initiative. Since the beginning of the Fall Semester, student-athletes and the athletics staff have collected new children's books as well as monetary donations used to purchase additional books, for the purpose of donating to Holme Elementary School. Contributions came from various sources, ranging from student-athletes, faculty, staff and student-organizations of Holy Family, to the local Free Library of Philadelphia, and even teachers from Holme Elementary. Athletic Department staff members also solicited and obtained contributions from friends and relatives from Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and California.

The campaign was a success once again, as a total of 1276 books were collected and donated to Holme Elementary School. This total surpassed last year's inaugural effort, in which approximately 1000 books were collected and donated to Emlen Elementary School, also located in Philadelphia.

"It was a phenominal effort by many people to surpass our goal that was set at 1000 books. I was ecstatic when I realized that we collected 1276 books," said Holy Family University athletic director Sandra Michael. "We want the children to be excited about going to their library and finding new books that will open the world to them."

A total of 15 student-athletes came to Holme Elementary for the book presentation and program. The Holme students were both surprised and excited as the Holy Family student-athletes walked down the aisles of the auditorium, each carrying one of 21 crates of books, all of which were placed in front of the stage. During the program several of the student-athletes spoke to the Holme students about relevant topics such as the importance of reading, setting goals, staying in school, and maintaining a positive attitude. One student-athlete also spoke about a teacher who served as a positive role model and was influential in her academic development.

The students, teachers, and staff of Holme Elementary were extremely grateful for the book donation. The current "library" consists of outdated and worn books, was in desperate need of an overhaul. The donated books cover a variety of topics, include both fiction and non-fiction, and are age appropriate for grades kindergarten through sixth grade. After the assembly program, several of the Holme students walked up to the student-athletes and thanked them for the books. The student-athletes were also very excited and grateful for the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way. It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved.