The Lions Club of Madison is seeking donations for its Martin Luther King, Jr. Book Drive, which will run through the end of March to honor the legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Drive is part of the Lions Club International organization’s efforts to support diversity and inclusion and reach out to potential new members in the area.

According to Lions Club District Governor Melissa A. Smith, this enrichment program supports CT-PA 19-12, an act that strives to include Black and Latino authors for inclusion in public school curriculum.

“The Lions have always tried to serve all of the different races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds of our members. I’m not sure everyone knows that the Lions have always been a diverse organization, and we have always tried to bring that diversity and inclusion to the Lions,” Smith said. “We certainly want to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and to make sure that all viewpoints are represented.”

This is the second annual MLK Book Drive sponsored by the District, with the focus this year on books for young adults.

“The first year, we did grammar school and elementary schools. This year, we are focusing on middle schools and high schools. We really want to provide these titles for school libraries and for town libraries,” Smith said.

Smith said that the Club accepts donations of actual books, a list of which can be found on their site. Monetary donations will also be accepted so that the Club can purchase titles.

“We do it either way. Some folks donate money, others find the titles we are seeking and then purchase them and donate the books to us,” said Smith. “Everyone is also welcome to join the Lions. One hundred percent of the donations we collect go back into the community.”

Scranton Library Director Sunnie Scarpa said the donations would be a welcome addition to their collection.

“We will be the lucky recipients of the books they collect. I was so pleased to hear about the project and then thrilled that they wanted to choose our library as the recipient. Continuing to build a diverse collection of books helps us deliver on our mission to foster lifelong educational and cultural learning. We are so grateful to the Lions Club for initiating such a great community effort,” Scarpa said.

Smith said that the Club’s website has all the information to donate, including a list of books that the Club specifically seeks.

Dick Borner, President of the Madison Lions Foundation and Treasurer of the Madison Lions Club, said that since its inception in 1917, the organization has a legacy of lifting up those in need and giving a platform to voices that otherwise can go unheard. According to Borner, the MLK Book Drive is in keeping with the Lions’ commitment to that mission.

“We are excited by this project. We are always looking for projects to get involved with that are in keeping with our mission,” said Borner. “We have always been active in projects that have to do with eyesight and blindness issues, reading, and research. This has always been a core aspect of our mission. Reading and vision are very important issues for the Madison Lions, and [we] always seek to continue that, so when this opportunity came up with the Martin Luther King Book Drive came up, it just really just jumped at us. The Lions have always strived to embrace diversity, and the values of Dr. King are something that we support. This is a great way to celebrate the memory and legacy of Dr. King and to honor his life.”

The Lions Club is seeking new and used books by Black or Latino authors. For more information or to find out more about what the Lions do for the shoreline communities, visit lionsclub23a.org.

Book and monetary donations can be dropped off at the Scranton Memorial Library.