March 13, 2026 — PEF visited Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center in Utica on March 6, with books in hand to give to youth, ranging in age from 5 to 17, who are receiving services and residential care at the facility.
“The kids were excited to see all the different books and most found something they liked,” said Vice President Randi DiAntonio. “As public servants we like to help, and we love to find ways to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve and the communities we live in.”
Reading Opens the World is a national literacy initiative led by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in partnership with organizations like PEF, aimed at promoting reading by providing free books to children, families, educators, and the community.
Through the initiative, PEF provides high-quality books to youth in the community, as well as in facilities run by the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).
“We just kicked off our 2026 giveaways and visited Brookwood Secure Center in Claverack where more than 100 youth stopped by the book tables,” DiAntonio said. “We are in the process of planning events at all nine Department of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth facilities.”
Over the past few years, PEF has done several events at OMH facilities, including Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center, New York City Children’s Center, Elmira Psychiatric Center’s children’s unit, as well as OCFS Industry Residential Center and Finger Lakes Residential Center.
At some of the locations, where the residents are also parents, PEF works with them to select books to send home to their children and help foster those relationships.
In 2023, PEF launched an annual Wellness Fair & Book Giveaway at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, securing 20,000 books from Reading Opens the World and coupling the giveaway with health and wellness vendors and community organizations. Families could take home up to 10 books and educators up to 40. Many arrived with totes and even wagons to cart home their treasures. (See coverage of the 2023 event, 2024 event, and 2025.)
“We have been involved in a variety of giveaway events,” DiAntonio said. “Our current focus is to go into facilities where our members work to share positivity and make a difference in the lives of those served. We are also looking for ways to partner with outside organizations and give back to our community and encourage reading.”
Since 2011, Reading Opens the World has distributed more than 10 million free books to students, families and educators serving in Title I schools and programs, and public employees and health care professionals serving communities in need across the country.