Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club extended its first chapter in Kansas at Baker University. Their first event with both Baker University and Baldwin City was a book drive with drop box locations across the city through the month of November.
The collegiate club, just approved through the student senate, had its first initiation night on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Clarice L. Osborne Memorial Chapel. The initiation included 16 new members from the Baker chapter and many active members across the United States and Mexico who attended in person or via Zoom.
ADKCC collaborated with the Johnson County Christmas Bureau to bring new and gently used books to the Johnson County community. Drop boxes have been set up at Baldwin City Library, Case Hall at Baker University, Baldwin City Beer Company, 133 Coffee, and Baldwin City Academy of Dance and Voice.
“One of the board members for Alpha Delta Kappa is running the book drive. They’re setting up an actual book shop for people to come in and pick the books they want in December,” Natalie Maxhimer-Rodriquez, president of Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club, said.
Lias LaFountain, Baldwin City Library Director, worked with Maxhimer-Rodriquez to set up a box for the Baldwin City Community to drop off books for the event. The bright blue box is located in the front lobby of the library. Each drop box has already been emptied a few times after community members donated more than expected.
“We get a lot of people who want to come in and donate books, but we just don’t have the space for them, so this was the perfect way to collect them,” LaFountain said. Both LaFountain and Alpha Delta Kappa Collegiate Club members hope to work together on future book drives after the round of support received from the community.
“I liked this idea of this drive because it focused on adult books as well as children’s,” Dr. Charlsie Prosser Professor of Education and Alpha Delta Kappa member said. “We’ve don’t book drives in the past with the School of Education where we focused on picture books, very elementary books, or just books for children. It opened it up to help everyone at every level.”
The Johnson County Christmas Bureau has asked for children’s books, Spanish books for adults and children, young adult books, adult fiction, and even Bibles. The ask for such broad genres will allow people visiting the Holiday Shop to choose from a large variety of books.
“It allowed for more people who aren’t in education to be involved, especially since not everyone in Alpha Delta Kappa [colligate club] is an education major” ADKCC Treasurer and sophomore Petra Frans added.
Book drive drop boxes will be picked up in the last week of November. The books will be provided as part of a 9-day Holiday Shop that benefits thousands of families in Johnson County.
