Horton’s Kids Expands Library Thanks to a Generous Donation

Over 100 Books Donated in Memory of Ogilvy Partner Bill O’Neill

Horton's Kids
Horton’s Kids, a local nonprofit serving 500 children in Ward 8’s Wellington Park neighborhood, welcomed the generous donation of over 100 books in memory of Bill O’Neill, a Principal at Ogilvy Government Relations. The generous gift will enhance the selection of books at Horton’s Kids’ Community Resource Center in Anacostia, and children will be able to take books home to build their own home libraries.

Friends say that O’Neill was an avid reader with an extensive personal library who gifted books with the same enthusiasm that he read them.

“Books can open up new worlds for Horton’s Kids participants, and allow them to learn and imagine about places and things beyond their neighborhood,” said Horton’s Kids Executive Director Robin Berkley. “We are so thankful that Mr. O’Neill’s friends and colleagues have chosen to honor him by helping Anacostia children foster the same love of reading that he had himself.”

O’Neill’s colleagues and friends, who organized the donation said: “We couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute to our friend and colleague, Bill O’Neill, who was an avid reader and giver of books. He always had the perfect book to give a friend, and we wanted to continue that legacy with the kids at Horton’s Kids.”

Horton's Kids
“This generous and kind donation aptly commemorates Bill’s voracious appetite for reading and his kindness towards those in need,” said Dan Walsh, Horton’s Kids Board Chair and friend of Bill O’Neill. “Bill was well-known for sharing books with his friends; today, in his name, books will be in the hands of children whose access to reading material is often limited.”

Access to additional reading materials is especially important for Horton’s Kids participants because this school year, the District of Columbia adopted the more rigorous Common Core of State Standards, which place high value on strong literacy skills. To help strengthen the children’s literacy skills, Horton’s Kids makes books available through the on-site Community Resource Center, which participants can bring home on a regular basis. Horton’s Kids hopes to further develop the library through the expansion of space and addition of books in the coming years.

Horton’s Kids’ mission is to empower at-risk children and prepare them for successful and healthy lives through educational opportunities and comprehensive programs tailored to their needs. Horton’s Kids believes that every child can succeed, no matter their circumstance, and envisions a community in which all children graduate from high school ready for college, career, and life.