Lenape High School’s second annual “Each Bring One,” a book drive founded by Lenape freshman Chase Keller and organized by the Community Service Club, is in the final stretch. Chase thought of this drive as a tribute to former Lenape student Eric “Ebo” Eberling, who lost his battle against cancer on Christmas Day 2013.
The goal of the drive is to collect 2400 new and gently-used children’s books, in honor of Ebo’s hockey number, that will be donated to CHOP’s Reach Out and Read Program. This is a national program that provides pediatricians with new books to gift to children ages 6 months to 5 years during their well visits. CHOP’s network of pediatric offices is the local affiliate. Used books are also donated and are left in the waiting and exam rooms of the doctor’s offices for families to enjoy while at the doctor or to take home to read again and again. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was instrumental in sustaining Ebo’s health during his two-year battle. This drive is Lenape’s way of honoring Ebo’s legacy, thanking the network of doctors and nurses who helped him and countless other children, and ensuring every child has a chance to fall in love with a book.
With help from the elementary and middle schools in the Mt. Laurel School District, their respective PTOs and administration, the students and staff at Lenape, and community members and organizations like the Mt. Laurel Library, the school community know that 2400 books is possible. The drive, which officially ends on Feb. 14, is a fitting tribute to a life lived to the fullest. Ebo embraced all Lenape High School had to offer and gave each of us within its walls a sense of what family, friendship, and courage really mean. Students like Chase Keller recognize that we cannot forget our fallen friends. We must continue to fulfill the legacies of those who have touched our lives. “Each Bring One” makes that happen.
