Team members of the Finance Division with J.D. Irving, Limited recently put on a book drive to collect books for International Children’s Book Day.  They had an overwhelming response from their team with 5 boxes of books collected! The Finance Division then partnered with PALS and Glen Falls School.

After the books were collected, the team then scheduled a time to go to Glen Falls to read to the students. The visiting readers took the "PALS Kids-On-The-Go Bus" (which normally provides transportation to students from the PALS schools in Greater Saint John). For that day, the Finance Group were the "Kids on the Go"!

The Visiting Readers from the Finance Division enjoyed an afternoon, reading books selected by their teachers to help entertain and engage the students. Volunteers were assigned to read to classes from Kindergarten to grade 6. What an amazing opportunity to spend time with the great students at Glen Falls School! This was a memorable opportunity for both the JDI Finance employees and the children who participated.

“You have only been out of our building for a little bit, but your presence is missed by all the students you met!  As I went around to thank the teachers for having you in their classrooms, each one of them were beyond grateful to the volunteers who took their time to come in and read.  It is an incredible opportunity for our students to see that there are adults in their community who will take the time to invest in their lives” Says Jill Nylen, Community Schools Coordinator at Glen Falls School.

This is a wonderful initiative by the Finance Division. Due to the positive response from the volunteers and school, we are hoping to make this a more frequent event involving more schools and divisions. Thank you to our volunteers! J. D. Irving, Limited is proud to be a strong supporter of the PALS (Partners Assisting Local Schools) program!