Great Falls Optimist Club

Great Falls Optimist Club Donates Over 500 Books to County Detention Center and Veterans Hospital

         T.R. Cook, President of the Great Falls Optimist Club, arranged for a donation of over 500 books to the Fairfax County Detention Center and to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C. 

         Working with Andrew Pendergrast of the Great Falls Library, Mr. Cook collected the hard cover and paperback books that remained after the Library had sold all that it could from the many books donated throughout the previous year. The Library has two book sales each year to raise funds and all the books remaining after the sale are usually discarded.  

        “Once I realized that, I decided to find homes for those books,” Mr. Cook said. “Throwing out books just breaks my heart, and I figured there had to be people somewhere who would appreciate having them, so I explored the options.” The books ranged from Shakespeare to contemporary best sellers, he said.  “The Detention Center was happy to take all the paperbacks I could deliver, and the VA Hospital took all the hardbacks. They weren’t too interested in the romantic novels, as most of their readers are men, but they were happy to take everything else. It was a win-win situation.” Mr. Cook plans to make the book collection and donation an annual event for the Great Falls Optimist Club.