A Berks County resident since 1980, Judy Elllsworth has lived in Wyomissing Hills, later moving to Green Valley Estates in Sinking Spring for the last eight years. Prior to living in the area, Judy spent her career working in several capacities. “I’ve done many things; I worked as a Psychiatric Social Worker in Chicago, in Children’s Services in Philadelphia, and doing income tax returns for H&R Block and Kurtz McNaney for 10 or 12 years when we moved to Berks County. In 1996 I opened a retail store called Soccer Stop located on State Hill Road in Wyomissing. We had kids playing soccer and there were no soccer equipment stores nearby, so we were trying to fill a void. I worked there until we closed at the end of 2017.”
In their retirement from the working world Judy and her husband Andy discovered the rewards of involvement in the Berks Book Bonanza. “My husband was a lawyer his entire professional career. When he retired in 2014, he was the inside counsel for National Penn Bank. He began volunteering with Book Bonanza in 2015. Since I was still working full-time at Soccer Stop, I only helped with the actual sales at the Book Bonanza in 2015, 2016, and 2017. When we had our going-out-of-business sale the last quarter of 2017, we closed our doors after Christmas, and I became a full-time volunteer in 2018. We are both avid readers and we both attended as patrons of the event when it was held at the Berkshire Mall and at Leesport Auction.”
The Book Bonanza is a huge undertaking and would not be possible without a faithful volunteer base to carry it out each year. “It is a full-time job during the actual sale and a time commitment throughout the year with book collections, sorting, and setting up for the event.”
As Judy mentioned earlier, the couple’s involvement in this much anticipated event stems from their love of books. They have an extensive personal library of their own, and relish every opportunity to read a good book while relaxing at home or during an extended vacation. It is not a surprise that their commitment to volunteering with this beloved Berks County event is a perfect fit for them.
As a key organizer for the Book Bonanza, Judy is able to give us a break down of how the event is organized. It’s a year-round system. “There is an Executive Committee which involves two entities, The American Association of University Women, and Friends of the Berks County Libraries Board, with representatives from each to serve on the committee. Sherry Davis and I are the representatives who oversee the organizing of the event. We collect books all year long. Each year, we start out fresh with what is left from the previous year. We get rid of books through donations to prisons, other non-profits, book buyers, and some are recycled.
“The Book Bonanza found a permanent home in the Berks County South Campus office building in Mohnton, which has made storage, collections, and set up a much easier process. We start collecting books in September, October, and November, take a break over the holidays, and then resume the collections until mid-June. We collect every Monday and Tuesday between 9-2 and Wednesdays between 5-7 as well as Saturdays. Check out the website to find out details on collection times and dates. It takes until July to sort and examine the books donated for sale.”
Book donations arrive by the truckload at times, and the volunteers carefully sort and categorize each book. Judy explains, “We are able to put our books on shelves, something we were not able to do before. Each book is examined to determine if it is ready to sell. Books printed before 1960 are considered collectibles. Books are sorted by genre and are put on specific tables where a leader goes through each one a second time.” The volunteers are a dedicated and dependable group who show up to the task of organizing and carrying out the Book Bonanza each year. “We have 45 people who come regularly and about 140-150 to help during the sale. We even have some retired librarians. New volunteers are always welcome and can leave a voicemail on the number listed on our website or fill out a contact form. We would love to have you!”
The Book Bonanza has not only become a treasured tradition in Berks County, but provides several different and very important benefits for the community. “We feel that it is important to get reading material into the hands of people at a price they can afford. The money that we make we donate to two organizations who split a large percentage of our proceeds minus the operating costs from hosting our five-day sale. The Book Bonanza recently won the library system’s Dreisbach Award which is the highest honor the System presents. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to public library service development.
“It is personally rewarding for us to be filling this need in Berks County. Some people say that people don’t read books anymore. This is not true! I get great satisfaction seeing how many people show up at the sale the first day while we are organizing to open at 10:00. We were there at 8:45 and the line was down through the parking lot at our new location waiting for us open. The county looks forward to this event, and it fills lots of needs. That is what we are here for.”
When they are not immersed in piles of books, Judy and Andy are avid bridge players with Berks Encore twice a week, and enjoy a six-week break at their time share in Aruba, where they are able to read and relax to their hearts content. Judy belongs to a book club which meets once a month and involves eleven people, who rotate suggesting books and hosting meetings.
For further information on the Berks Book Bonanza visit www.berksbookbonanza.org
