Category: Media

First-Ever Library at Under-Resourced School Thrills   

  Children and Teachers in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

February 28, 2024 — Judith’s Reading Room announced the dedication of its 106th library at a public school in central Puerto Vallarta serving 189 students.  Last Thursday, their world changed with the library’s inauguration at Escuela ‘Agustin Flores Contreras’ containing 538 bi-lingual, Spanish and English books, with a value of $3,632.

Judith’s Reading Room provided the books while the parents of the schoolchildren did all the rest.  The fathers painted the library space a cheerful lime green, built custom-designed shelves and the mothers sewed cherry-red curtains.  The parents had pressured the school principal to get books into the hands of their children because they knew better than anyone how debilitating it is to go through life, especially in a tourist town, without English.  One parent said, “when you know English, half of your problems are solved.”

“Today the moment has arrived to inaugurate our school library — a space where you will find countless treasures to discover… magical places to know … and unexpected adventures to unearth.  A space where our children can cast their imagination from the instant they touch a book,” said principal Maria Guadalupe Ramirez Lopez.  The founders of Judith’s Reading Room, Scott & Cathy Leiber, met Ms. Lopez during a library opportunity exploration trip in November, 2023.  It was during this meeting that the founders learned the school had no books, no library, no computers.  The 106th library took just three months from being an idea to becoming a reality.

Four members of Judith’s Reading Room board of directors, (Scott & Cathy Leiber, Co-Founders, Linda Wellstein, Esq., Vice President, International and Carla Border, retired high school teacher) spent the week organizing and classifying the books and filling the  shelves.  Working in teams of two — one Spanish-speaker and one English-speaker — the board members taught English to all classes using books from the library, childhood songs and puppets to engage the children and to spark their imaginations.

“To see the look of pure amazement, pure joy — almost shock — on a child’s face who has never seen nor held a book in their life, touched my heart and reinforced my commitment to spread the joy of reading to children around the world, “said Cathy Leiber, President and Co-Founder, Judith’s Reading Room.

Dignitaries attending the event included the Academic Coordinator, Puerto Vallarta’s Cultural Center, the ‘Professor Martin Meza Sendis’ Library Coordinator, officers of the Parents Association and local educational authorities.  Following the official ceremony and ribbon-cutting, the students, their teachers and parents entered the library by grades, allowing the children time to explore the books.  The library was dedicated in honor of the founder’s high school Spanish teacher, Ms. Lola Danielli of Lafayette, California, whom Cathy credits with changing her life.  A plaque in her honor was adhered to the wall inside the library.

Judith’s Reading Room, a global nonprofit literacy organization was founded in 2010 in the memory of Judith F. Krug, first cousin to the founders, who served as Director for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association for over 40 years.  Judith’s Reading Room’s mission is to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy.  We have fulfilled that mission by establishing 106 libraries in 23 countries with over 133,000 donated books.  For more information, visit the website at www.judithsreadingroom.org.

69 News Edición en Español /WFMZ – TV interviewed Cathy Leiber, President and Co-Founder, Judith’s Reading Room and via zoom Maria Guadalupe Ramirez Lopez (“Lupita”), principal  of Escuela ‘Agustin Flores Contreras’.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MX.- Judith ‘s Reading Room anunció la inauguración de su biblioteca número ciento seis en una escuela pública del centro de Puerto Vallarta. La escuela Austin Flores Contreras ahora tiene sienes de libros para sus estudiantes.

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Public School in Colonial Puerto Vallarta Gets Its First Library

Without English language competency, locals are relegated to the lowest jobs

February 5, 2024 — Judith’s Reading Room announced today that it has donated 538 curated children’s books valued at $3,632 to create the first-ever library at Escuela ‘Agustin Flores Contreras’ in colonial Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

During the week of February 19-26, four members of the organization’s board of directors, (two of whom are fluent in Spanish) will teach English to all 189 students and prepare their teachers for continuing education in English.

According to Maria Guadalupe Ramirez Lopez (“Lupita”), principal, her public school has no books at all – not in English, not in Spanish — no computers nor laptops, and worst of all, no English teacher.  This, in one of the world’s most luxurious resorts with cruise ships docked in sight  of the school, where many tourists do not speak Spanish yet expect hospitality staff to speak English.

Parents of these school children, who live in villages high above the coastline in the soaring Sierra Madre mountains hold some of Puerto Vallarta’s lowest level jobs:  dishwashers, maids, curiosity vendors — because they lack a knowledge of English.  Judith’s Reading Room hopes to end this cycle by offering outstanding children’s literature with early reader books in English and bilingual books.

A most incredible thing happened in October:  these same parents approached Lupita to tell her that their children needed to learn English.  Without resources, and despite repeated requests to school authorities in Guadalajara, she felt completely helpless.  Then, as if by magic, the founders of Judith’s Reading Room happened upon her school during an unplanned vacation week in Puerto Vallarta.

Judith’s Reading Room, a global non-profit literacy organization founded in 2010 in the memory of the founders’ cousin, Judith F. Krug, a librarian, has as its mission:  “to enrich lives and societies by proactively encouraging freedom through literacy.”  In this spirit, the organization has already dedicated 105 libraries in 23 countries, including one in Todos Santos, Mexico.  Upon learning the dismal reality of administrating an under-resourced public school in Puerto Vallarta, the Leibers immediately determined that these 189 children, ages 6-10 would within months receive books to create the school’s first-ever library.

Judith’s Reading Room reached out to local Pennsylvania partners — The Children’s Home of Easton, ProJeCt of Easton and Barnes & Noble, Center Valley PA to seek guidance on the most important children’s books to include in the collection — books proven to be effective in helping children learn English.

Today, parents are painting and outfitting the Judith’s Reading Room Library salon with custom-built shelves.  Parents will learn English along with their children and  in this manner, they will change the trajectory of generations.  They understand that with a command of English, they will no longer be relegated to the lowest rung of society, the lowest rung of employment.

The 106th Judith’s Reading Room library is named in honor of Ms. Lola Danielli, Cathy Leiber’s high school Spanish teacher who Cathy credits as being “the most important teacher in her entire life.”  About Ms. Danielli, Cathy says, “she inspired me to excel at Spanish, she enthused me with the thrill that comes from deeply understanding others in their own language.”  Ms. Danielli recently retired from teaching in the Acalanes School District in northern California after 58 years.

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