MILWAUKEE — Books have a special meaning to Wisconsin medical student, Maie Zagloul.
She grew up reading them and even started a nonprofit, called “Books for Chance,” which helps refugees have greater access to books.
Now, her nonprofit is helping a Milwaukee school with a big project.
Zagloul said her goal has always been to help donate books to kids who are refugees and who speak other languages.
She recently did a large book drive through her college, the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she collected dozens of books to donate to Afghan refugees across Wisconsin.
Her latest project with the Salam School in Milwaukee places the focus on younger children. She plans to donate books to help build the school’s first library.
“Going to the library was really my safe space,” Zagloul said of her passion behind the work. “I used to spend all my recesses there reading books.”
Right now, the Salam School has individual classroom libraries, but they said an expansion will be a great benefit to students.
“It’s great to know we have allies outside in the community that are willing to chip in and help out with causes that they think are so important for young kids, especially our demographic,” Salam School second grade teacher Madison Skolnich said.
Skolnich said this library they are working to build will be a special space for students to learn and read books that relate to them.
“I think having them get access to it through school will hopefully raise their print awareness and help get them books that represent their linguistic diversity and their cultural diversity,” Skolnich said.
Books are something that have helped shape Zagloul’s life. She said she knows it will do the same for these students, who will soon have more access to books while at school.
“Having access to books at a young age can really shape the mind, can really teach you about the world and everything out there,” Zagloul said. “But also, a lot about yourself, too. That’s really the impact books had on me growing up.”
She said she has been able to see herself in these young kids. She said it makes her want to give back and share the gift of books.
Zagloul said she has a goal of raising $1,000 to donate books to the school library. The Salam School said they have hope to have the library up and running by the start of the school year this fall.