Waldorf College’s Amnesty International Club supports alternative school book drive

(Left to right) Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi with club members Alyssa Lee and Janey Rockow

For Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi, charity begins at home. When she heard about a book drive for the local alternative school being organized by Bookadee, a Forest City bookstore, she joined the effort. She also enlisted the help of the Amnesty International Club on Waldorf’s campus.

“I think it is important to promote a good relationship between the college and the community,” said Falck-Yi, associate professor of English. “A lot of times we think charitable causes being far away and not a few blocks away.”

It was an equally thrilling experience for club member Alyssa Lee, who jumped at the idea of helping the local school. Lee, who graduated this spring in wellness, said education at any level is very important. She has been involved with several volunteering opportunities on campus and also sponsors a child in Peru.

“I really enjoyed doing it from a personal standpoint because of my background,” she said. “This was something I would be interested in.” Lee couldn’t imagine going through her high school years without the amount of books she had at her disposal. 

Waldorf College was successful in collecting more than 80 books through donations from faculty, staff and community members.

The initiative for the book drive stemmed from Bookadee owner Tora Buffington’s visit to the alternative school early this year. Seeing that students only had a handful of books to read, Buffington decided to spearhead a book drive.  

She said Waldorf College’s contribution doubled the amount of books she was expecting.

“I hope we can do the same drive next year. My dream is to have so many books that we will be able to donate to other places as well,” she said.

Waldorf College’s Amnesty International Club has been actively involved with events on campus. They have organized a series of host speakers, film screenings and panel discussions with people involved in issues such as domestic violence.

Previously, Waldorf College has been part of a book drive that contributed to the middle school library in Forest City.