Reading Opens Doors seeks new director

When Cheryl Bush and her twin sons Ethan and Eian moved into their new home in Georgetown, they became the 150th family to receive a housewarming gift from Reading Opens Doors.

Affiliated with Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, Reading Opens Doors provides a bookcase, resource materials and age-appropriate books for the children of Habitat families when they move into their homes.

The program was founded in 2007 by the late Lenny and Roxanne Nelson of Rehoboth Beach. Both retired educators, they knew the value of having books in the home. Home libraries have been found to increase children’s academic success, vocabulary development and attention spans.

Over the years, Reading Opens Doors has partnered with Rehoboth Beach’s Browseabout Books, Sunrise Rotary and the Village Improvement Association.

In 2018, Roxanne Nelson decided to step down as the director of Reading Opens Doors, and the program leadership was assumed by Bob and PJ Kotowski of Lewes.

Now the Kotowskis are ready for their own retirement and are looking for a volunteer interested in taking over management of the program.

The director maintains a collection of children’s books, works closely with Habitat for Humanity staff members, orders and assembles bookcases, and makes deliveries to five to 10 families a year in Sussex County.

“While Reading Opens Doors has operated in the past with just one or two people, the program lends itself to organizations that might be looking for an opportunity to give back to their communities in some way. I can envision a neighborhood book club, for instance, being a great match for this kind of program,” said PJ Kotowski.

For more information on Reading Opens Doors, contact Kotowski at 302-841-0195 or pjkotow@verizon.net.