On Saturday, April 24, kids in the Lawndale school district got to pick three free books for preschoolers through 8th graders, on topics ranging from history to biography to science as well as fiction. There were Disney books and chapter books for older kids — such as the 20-book Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, who has sold more than 300 million copies — more than the number of albums Led Zeppelin has sold.

Carl Williams, the president of both the Lawndale Federation of Classified Employees and the Council of Classified Employees, felt nervous about putting on the large Reading Opens the World event where they gave out 4,000 free books. But AFT Local 4529 did it anyway, as well as participating in the Lawndale Youth Parade the same day.

The local applied for a grant and got the books from AFT’s Reading Opens the World campaign. Williams says a lot of thought went into choosing the books—ones that would be popular as well as have characters who looked like Lawndale’s students. Parents were also allowed three books, and staff and teachers could take five, to build their classroom libraries.

This event both got books into students’ hands and showed how classified employees support student success in and out of the classroom, Williams says.

“We told people that these books are for everyone,” Willilams said. “And they are given through the union that represents the essential support workers of Lawndale Elementary School District.”

The event was supported by 25 volunteers. School board members and the superintendent showed up and so did former CFT Secretary- Treasurer Luukia Smith and CFT President Jeff Freitas.

One thing was clear after the event: Putting 4,000 books into students’ hands isn’t extra work—it’s an extension of the same relentless dedication Classified Professionals bring to supporting students every single day.