One of the highlights each spring at the Chatham Education Foundation is watching students walk into a Books on Break fair and leave carrying tote bags filled with books they get to keep forever. The excitement on their faces never gets old.
But those smiles don’t happen by accident.
This year, Books on Break grew in more ways than one. Through the generosity of individual donors, local businesses, authors, volunteers, and community partners, CEF expanded the program to Bennett School and three NCPre-K’s for the first time while continuing to serve thousands of students across Chatham County. It was a powerful reminder that Books on Break has become a true community-wide effort.
Beginning in January, Chatham Reads staff Kathy Havens and Heather Bochicco began ordering books for each school. Using multiple vendors, they secured the best prices on high-interest books they know kids will love including graphic novels, animal and sports books, and favorite titles such as Pete the Cat, Elephant & Piggie, Who Would Win?, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Baby-Sitters Club, and I Survived. The average price per book was a little more than $3.
Along with books, students could choose from 650 donated magazines, courtesy of Sports Illustrated Kids and Highlights. CEF also received book donations from authors Vickie Hannah, who contributed 400 copies of her safari-themed books (read full story), and F.A.R.M.S. founder Jillian Hishaw, who donated 75 copies of Wally the Worm.
BOLD Companies has supported Books on Break for several years by funding books on financial literacy and leadership. In 2026, they contributed $1,955.75 for 352 books. Younger students especially loved the Earn It!/Save It!/Spend It! books, while older elementary students gravitated toward Katie the Catsitter and the graphic novel The Lemonade War. (Read BOLD’s blog post.)
Other businesses that provided funds for this year’s Books on Break include Central Electric Membership Corp, Randolph Electric Membership Corp., Hubie’s Express Car Wash, Sunrock Industries, Walmart, Enbridge, and Brightspeed.
Some of this year’s most meaningful support came from individual donors who sponsored entire Books on Break fairs. Chatham County resident Peggy Myers coordinated a collective gift of $8,000+ in memory of her late husband, Robert, bringing Books on Break to Pittsboro Elementary School. (Read the full story.)
Manjiree, a CEF Board Member, and Sham Nikam sponsored Books on Break at Bonlee School. Grandparents to six young children, the Nikams were inspired by the joy of sharing stories with their grandchildren and wanted more children to experience the excitement of choosing books of their own. (Read the full story.)
A campaign honoring Gary Leonard made it possible to bring Books on Break to Bennett School for the very first time. As Gary prepares to retire after decades of service as a teacher, coach, and Chair of the Chatham County Board of Education, CEF invited the community to celebrate his legacy by funding Bennett’s inaugural Books on Break fair. (Read the full story.)
Thanks to a grant from the Women of Fearrington, CEF expanded Books on Break to three preschool sites outside of Chatham County Schools. “Because these preschoolers will soon enter Chatham County Schools, we want to make sure they have access to books that build language, imagination, and the foundational literacy skills essential for lifelong learning,” said Kathy Havens, program manager for Chatham Reads. “Research shows that even a few books at home can make a lasting difference in kindergarten readiness and future reading success. We’re incredibly grateful to the Women of Fearrington for helping us reach children even before they enter kindergarten.”
What began as two book fairs in 2016 has now grown into a countywide effort serving eight elementary schools, three NCPre-K sites, and the Nature Trail Community. In all, 2,485 students took home 10,832 books. Pre-K through 1st grade students selected five books each, while students in grades 2–5 selected four. In addition, middle school students at K-8 schools had the opportunity to browse a selection of books and take several home.
“Every year, Books on Break reminds us what’s possible when people believe in our students,” said Brittany Sandefur, CEF’s executive director. “This year, because of the incredible generosity of our donors, volunteers, business partners, grant funders, and schools, we were able to expand the program and reach more children than ever before. We simply couldn’t do it without this community.”
And, of course, no Books on Break wrap-up would be complete without a huge thank you to the 104 volunteers who made all 12 fairs possible. They unpacked boxes of books, transformed school media centers into bookstores, helped students discover new books, filled tote bags, and packed everything up at the end of each fair. A special shout-out to Jordan-Matthews High School Beta Club students, who were a big hit at the Virginia Cross Elementary fair.
Every tote bag filled, every volunteer shift, every donated book, and every dollar contributed came together to create the smiles that make this program one of CEF’s favorite traditions each spring. That’s the magic of a community investing in its children, one book at a time.