Earlier this month, Phoenix was fortunate to host the 2019 National Conference of the Buddhist Churches of America. As a demonstration of how diverse communities are interconnected in making society a better place for all, teenagers from the Junior Young Buddhist Association (JYBA) – representing temples across the U.S. – decided to conduct a book drive to benefit the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix.
The drive netted well over 600 books that will greatly help BGCMP extend its efforts to promote literacy with our members. Special efforts were made to ensure that the books collected would appeal to a wide age-range of youth, including teens. This was especially important to Emi Matsumoto, First Vice-President of the Southern District JYBA. Addressing the trend of book drives usually focusing on younger children she noted that, “It was cool to donate to the Boys & Girls Clubs [and] help teens when others won’t.”
The youth of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix are excited to receive and read their new books – all due to the generosity and compassion of teens from across the U.S.!
