Drive Helps Area Schools

The Olean City School District Foundation hosted its fifth annual Book and Game Drive on Saturday, October 4, at the Olean Middle School. The Book Drive was a part of Global Volunteer Day, an annual initiative where more than 40,000 volunteers led by Prudential Financial employees donate hundreds of thousands of hours on projects designed to better our local communities.

Steve Pancio, OCSDF Board President stated, “All Olean Schools donated books and games to the book drive - more than 1,000 games and more than 60 games were collected. Most of the games and a great number of books were swapped back out. We have redistributed the books back to all Olean elementary schools, the Olean Middle School, Southern Tier Catholic School, the New Life Christian School, YMCA Day Care Center, the City/St. John’s Rec Center, Olean Child Development Center, Immanual Christian Child Center, and the John J. Ash Community Center. The challenge to all Olean elementary schools was won by the Washington West Elementary school PTO who had the most students attend Saturday’s event.”

David Carucci, OCSDF Board Director, added, “We added the GAME SWAP this year - board and card games. It was a great success - the students would come in with books and games that were younger for them and exchange for books and games on their current/older grade status.”

The Olean City School District Foundation, established in November 2002, was created to provide additional funds and in-kind donations to support special programs, curriculum enrichment and training in all Olean City Schools. Donations for the foundation can be sent to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, 120 North Union Street, Olean, NY. For more information on the book drive or the foundation, please contact OCSDF at 372-4433.

(Pictured, from left, Kylea Andreano, Steve Pancio (OCSDF Board), Makayla Sargent, Abbey Bailey, Shane Pancio, students of the Olean City School District helped sort and redistribute books and games collected. Photo courtesy of The Olean City School District Foundation.)