“A&E READS” Kicks Off With Community Carnival & Free Book Giveaway

On Sunday, A&E Real Estate announced the launch of a major new campaign, A&E Reads, to support reading and literacy across New York City, starting with families at the 15,000 apartments A&E manages. Events kicked off Sunday with a community carnival in Kew Gardens Hills, with free kosher food, book and backpack giveaways, costumed characters and family crafts. A&E distributed 500 free books today. Hundreds of residents and Council Member Jim Gennaro attended the event.

The A&E Reads initiative includes distributing 10,000 free books for all ages this year, a new partnership with Reading is Fundamental to connect families with free online literacy tools, and new shared lending libraries in A&E buildings.

“At A&E, we’ve always believed in investing in our neighborhoods. Our residents are the backbone of this city. We started A&E Reads to invest in the next generation. We’re building a culture of reading in all our buildings and giving parents the tools they need to get kids off to a solid start,” said Douglas Eisenberg, Executive Chairman of A&E Real Estate.

"It was a delight for me to be with A&E Real Estate and my constituents and their families at The Opal -- a flagship A&E property -- at the launch of the ‘A&E Reads’ initiative. A&E is a great community partner which truly cares about its residents. A&E makes a difference on a host of community needs, such as food insecurity, and now it is fostering literacy and the joy of books, all in a fun and happy family event which my constituents enjoyed and appreciated. I salute A&E for what they do for the wonderful community I represent. Quality affordable housing is A&E's business, but people are its passion,” said Council Member Jim Gennaro.

A&E Reads seeks to expand literacy by:

• Distributing 10,000 free books to residents this year alone, including:
  • Up, Down and Around – Katherine Ayres
  • If Kids Ran the World – Leo & Diane Dillon
  • Pierre the Penguin – Jean Marzollo
  • Earth Day From the Black Lagoon – Mike Thaler
  • The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds – Joanna Cole
  • Lola Plants a Garden – Anna McQuinn
  • Man Fish – Jennifer Berne
  • My River – Shari Halpern
  • Flora Ulysses – Kate DiCamillo
  • Pay It Forward – Catherine Ryan Hyde
  • Common Ground – Molly Bang
• Connecting residents to free online literacy programs through a partnership with Reading is Fundamental
• Installing lending and exchange libraries in A&E buildings, where residents and community members can contribute books they’ve read, and pick up new ones donated by their neighbors—all for free.