“The Soho Center is donating several thousand children’s books with a Halloween theme for Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn,” she said. “We hope that everybody loves the idea of collecting books as they trick or treat and will enjoy the stories when they get home.”
The Soho Center gives away 300,000 new children’s books in Virginia every year, to schools, children’s hospitals and other child-related programs. UVA receives a third of the books, making it the biggest recipient of the donations.
“Every month, about 8,000 books get delivered to UVA,” Beker said. Given by donors including major publishers, the books fill the many carts at UVA Children’s, Northridge Pediatrics and Orange Pediatrics. “Every child who comes for a medical visit, for small things and serious things, gets a choice of books. And any siblings who are coming along for the appointment also get to choose books, so no child is left out,” Beker said.
It may have been the first of November, but the scene on the Lawn felt like Oct. 31. Relive the fun with this video and photos.