On Wednesday, February 6, 2008, Blowing Rock School got a huge surprise…a free book for every student in the school—Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade. “When our secretary Mary Lentz told me that morning that a benefactor wanted to purchase a book for every child in the school, I couldn’t believe it,” said the school’s media specialist, Kathy Moore. “It just so happened that we were having a small book fair that week along with a PTO-sponsored family fun night featuring a spaghetti supper and bingo. However, it turned out to be much bigger than we had anticipated.”
Sisters Kim McDonald Hartley and Wendy McDonald Estes along with their father, Keith McDonald (owner of Blowing Rock BP) have been raising money since the death of their mother Gaye McDonald in July 2006. It was their mother’s wish the first year that children of Iraqi soldiers had Christmas trees and gifts. That is when Operation: Mama Gaye began. Mrs. McDonald’s daughters wanted to see their mother’s wish be extended beyond that first mission. Since their mother was an avid reader and lover of books, the sisters decided to put a new book in the hand of each child at Blowing Rock School.
Each student in the school was invited to come to the book fair, select a book, and Operation: Mama Gaye paid for it. “I have never seen these children so excited,” said Donna Minton, the media center assistant. “Even though we live in a wealthy tourist town, there are still children in our school who couldn’t otherwise afford to buy a book. This is one of the most generous gestures I’ve ever seen.”
“The best thing about the gift to our students here at Blowing Rock is that the giving didn’t stop with their books,” explained Kathy Moore. “When I spoke to our representative at Scholastic Books about what had happened, I learned they have a program called One for Books. Scholastic is matching dollar-for-dollar the amount that Operation: Mama Gaye brought to our school. This amount will put more books into the hands of children who need them—either in New Orleans or another area of our country that has suffered damage to their school libraries. We can never thank these ladies enough for their generosity.”
Patrick Sukow, principal of Blowing Rock School, stated, “This generous donation demonstrates to our students how one kind act can create a positive chain of events that touch so many lives. Mrs. McDonald’s memory will live on because of her wish and her daughters’ willingness to see that it’s carried out.”