MARLBOROUGH - The 440 students at Richer Elementary School in Marlborough were pleasantly surprised
last week when more than 500 books arrived, donated by the Verizon telecommunications company.

Marlborough Mayor William J. Mauro Jr. and Marlborough Superintendent Rose Marie Boniface were at the
school Feb. 7 when volunteers from the Framingham branch of the international Verizon company presented
the books to Principal Frank Hess and Librarian Shirley Cox.

"I think it's going to provide a good opportunity for kids to always have a book in their hands. More books were
donated than the school has kids," said Hess.

Students at Richer range from kindergarten to third grade, said Hess, and the donate books are for appropriate
for kindergarten through fifth-grade level students. The higher-level books will be used by students with advanced
reading abilities.

Verizon employees donated the new or gently-used books during the company's second-annual holiday Season's
Readings book drive. Some also donated money to purchase new books for $1 per book from Scholastic Inc., a
national children's book publisher and distributor said Ann Cove, president of the Framingham Council of Verizon
Pioneers.

The Verizon Pioneers are employees of Verizon who donate their time to the various charity events the company
sponsors. The Framingham Council covers the entire MetroWest area, said Linda Mahoney, Verizon Regional
Director of Public Affairs for Central Mass.

Richer School was chosen at random by Verizon Pioneers, Mahoney said.

At the book presentation in the Richer library, Mauro and Boniface read books to six third-graders.

Richer Librarian Shirley Cox said the books are a mix of scholastic fiction and non-fiction and casual fiction.

"It's just wonderful to add so many books to our selection. This will give the kids a wider selection of books to
read. And, the higher-level books are great for kids who really are reading at a middle- or high school level,"
she said. "There really is a great range - from poetry to books on frogs and bugs, to pure pleasure reading."

A special book that is close to the hearts of the Verizon employees, "Alexander Graham Bell: The Life and
Times of the Man who Invented the Telephone" by Edwin S. Grosvenor and Morgan Wesson, was also given
to the Richer School.

"I think this is great. Reading is one of the most important things you can teach your kids," said Boniface.