Bay Area schools receive book donation with the help of an Olympian, fashion designer, and Avalon Bay
Ashlyn So with volunteers, students from College Park Elementary School in San Mateo
On September 10, two Bay Area elementary schools received a generous gift of 100 books from the Very Asian Foundation, in partnership with Avalon Bay. The donated books are authored by Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) writers and are on a list from the foundation’s The May Book Project. It helps schools and libraries build and maintain robust Asian American youth literature collections for all readers.
The highlight of a book drop at John Yehall Chin Elementary School in San Francisco was a special visit from four-time Olympian and three-time medalist Alexander Massialas. Massialas served as a read a book to about 150 students.
“To come back and read a book to the kids about the Asian American experience is something I really resonate with as an Asian American myself,” said Massialas. “As someone who cares about academics and reading, and then also to tie that into athletics and my Olympic journey was really, really special.”
After reading, Massialas took time to meet students, sign autographs, and share stories about his career.
Earlier in the day, VAF’s May Book Project hit College Park Elementary in San Mateo, where 16-year-old fashion designer and activist Ashlyn So read to students. So is an alumna of College Park and a rising star in both fashion and activism. Her involvement in the book drop event emphasized the importance of inspiring the next generation.
Avalon Bay has been a sponsor of the May Book Project for two years now and their contributions have helped impact thousands of students across the country from Washington, D.C., Arlington, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more.
The May Book Project is a youth literature project for all readers. It is comprised of a book list of more than 320 books, an academic rubric for librarians, and a community guide. It was inspired by high school students and has impacted more than 70,000 students across 15 states in its first two years of giving. The FBI recognized it for a way to fight anti-Asian hate.
The Bay Area book drops were led by VAF’s co-founder and NBC Bay Area news anchor Gia Vang and advisory board member and NBC Bay Area special projects producer, Christine Ni.