By KATLYN PROCTOR
Eagle Times Staff
WINDSOR, Vt. — A local school is the first in Vermont to bolster their library stacks with specially curated books meant to educate readers about Alzheimer’s, dementia and other disabilities thanks to a donation by Nana’s Books Foundation.
Each student at Windsor School in pre-K through grade 6 was gifted a stack of these books. The school’s library, as well as the Windsor Public Library, also received books to add to their collection.
“Windsor gets the lucky fortune of getting the gift of 806 books. They’re coming to every student at the school, every student gets a book to take home. And that is pretty cool,” said Dr. Dennis Dulniak, president of Nana’s Books Foundation.
On Thursday morning, March 27, an enthusiastic Dulniak addressed the auditorium at Windsor School full of students and staff, all dotting the floor in neat rows organized by class. The students in the room grinned from ear to ear and some, like fourth-grader Max, threw their hands up in the air in celebration and excitement about the announcement of the new books.
“I’ve had the opportunity now to visit schools like Windsor and share this story. Because, like the sixth graders who shared learning about the various disabilities, what you’re learning today is a little bit deeper about dementia. About forgetting. What it takes is that caregiving responsibility of kindness. Compassion,” Dulniak explained. “That true benefit that we give each other is love. Without that love for others, they can’t have that level of kindness, that level of compassion that we’re hoping to instill and support. So please take these books home. Share them.”
He and his son launched the organization in honor of wife Nancy in 2020, lovingly known by many as Nana. At the time, Nancy was suffering in the final stages of Alzheimer’s.
“She actually volunteered at her hometown library and actually wanted to be a librarian. And much like your librarian, she wanted to help students and really help them understand the importance of literacy,” Dulniak said.
One of the specially curated books that Windsor School students are receiving is “I’ll Remember, Poppy” by Anne O’Brien Carelli, who has a friendship with sixth grade teacher Destiny Lawyer.
“He recently invited our Windsor 6th grade ELA teacher, Destiny Lawyer, to apply for this grant when he heard about her disabilities book clubs and classroom projects,” said Colleen DeSchamp, co-principal of Windsor School, in an email inviting the Eagle Times to the event.
Dulniak further explained.
“A wonderful staff member that you have here is connected with the author of one of the books that your school is getting, and it’s called, ‘I’ll Remember, Poppy.’ ‘I’ll Remember, Poppy’ is about a kid’s story about her grandmother who had dementia. This story itself has, inside on the front cover, Nancy’s story. Well, every book you’re getting will have Nancy’s story, too. So, you can take this home and read it to your mom and dad. Your grandpa, your grandma, your aunts and uncles and talk about what you learned today and benefit this is going to have.”
To honor Nancy’s love of reading and spread kindness and compassion, Nana’s Books Foundation has given away more than 20,000 books to schools across the United States. These books are now at 24 Title I schools across 11 states and Washington, D.C. and Windsor, Vermont, is now part of that movement.
“People we come in contact with; they may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel,” Dulniak said.
For more information on the Nana’s Books Foundation and its impact, visit nanasbooks.org.
