Summer Kids Pitch In For Literacy: Twins, 14, Collect Books For Monomoy Kids

CHATHAM – Growing up, Emma and Paige Guidera always had books available to them. Now 14, the twins understand that not all children have that privilege, and they’re helping to fight that problem in their summer hometown in Chatham.

“Since we’ve come here since we were born, we think it’s important to be part of the community,” Paige said. In the off season, their family lives in Tampa, but she and her sister felt strongly that they should give back to kids in their summer home.

“Me and my sister, we’re both so privileged,” Emma said. “We have grown up with books in our houses, but we know that other kids don’t have them, so we’re just trying to help out.”

They spent long hours this year camped out in front of Yellow Umbrella Books, collecting children’s books for the Monomoy Early Childhood Council Children’s Book Drive.

The twins thanked the staff of Yellow Umbrella for being so accommodating, and thanked the many strangers who volunteered to go inside and buy a book for needy kids.

“Everybody was really understanding,” Paige said. Of course, not every person who walked by was receptive to their request. “When people said no, they were mainly very respectful,” she said.

“It’s worth it, knowing that you asking is potentially going to keep other kids happy,” Emma said. “We got a lot of diverse books, like ‘She Persisted,’” she said. Written by Chelsea Clinton, that children’s book tells the story of 13 American women who changed the world.

“I love children. There’s a lot of children here who actually need help,” Paige said. “In pictures, Cape Cod is just a place to relax and spend family time,” but lots of families are needy, she said.

“I think it’s been a very good thing for them,” dad Geoff Guidera said. Both girls volunteer at camps and afterschool programs for children in Tampa, and enjoy working with children. And while their volunteer work certainly helps meet some requirements of their schools and the expectations of future colleges, “more than anything, it’s about making good use of time, learning and spending productive time,” he said.

“We do feel connected to the community here, beyond just visiting the shops and restaurants,” he added.

Lucy Gilmore, the Monomoy Family Resource Coordinator, said Paige and Emma not only staffed a number of volunteer shifts at Yellow Umbrella, but also helped with a prize drawing at a Chatham Anglers game in late June, helped sort the books and delivered some to the Family Pantry of Cape Cod, where we have a distribution box in the reception area, she said. The girls have also volunteered to use their computer skills to create a colorful flier for a fundraiser at Cranberry Valley Golf Course.

“It’s wonderful to have young ‘seasonal’ Cape Cod citizens contributing to the improvement of the lives of our local year-round families,” Gilmore said. The book drive recently came to a close, and “I think we will come close to our goal of 1,000 books,” she said.

What were some of their personal favorites growing up?

“I liked anything Disney princess, and I was also really into Pete the Cat,” Paige said.

“I really liked the Pinkalicious books and the Babysitter Club comics. Me and my sister, we just read everything,” Emma said.