PAGE POWER – Naples Illustrated (March 2026)

The beloved American author Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote more than 60 children’s books, was born on March 2, 1904. Books for Collier Kids—a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization with a mission to ensure every child in Collier County has books to read, keep, and cherish—has declared March 2 as Stay at Home and Celebrate Reading and Dr. Seuss’ Birthday. On this day, adults are encouraged to share the love of reading with a child.

Books for Collier Kids chair Sallie Williams, a certified fundraising executive at Williams Consulting Group in Marco Island, joined the nonprofit in 2007. A lifelong reader and supporter of early childhood literacy, Williams was drawn to the organization after realizing that many children in the community did not own or have access to books.

Since 2005, Books for Collier Kids has distributed 2.1 million books—all new and curriculum- and ageappropriate— to children across Collier County from pre-K through second grade. (Per the organization’s most recent annual report, it distributed more than 180,000 in the 2024-25 fiscal year alone.) Books are donated every month of the school year. Rather than host a gala to raise funds, the organization sends a mail appeal twice a year asking for donations of $500, which “buys 250 brand-new books,” says Williams. While books by Dr. Seuss are always popular, this year, for America’s 250th birthday, stories of the United States will be shared. (booksforcollierkids.org)

–Gaylene Salomons, Naples Illustrated