DANVILLE, Va. — A Virginia woman has set herself an ambitious goal: to donate one million books.
While she has a long way to go, she has made significant progress by sharing her love of reading with inmates at the Danville Jail.
For the past ten years, Jennifer Williams, also known as "The Book Lady," has dedicated herself to giving away books, WDBJ reported.
When she is not working one of her five jobs to cover the costs of the books, she spends her time distributing them to local schools.
However, every Wednesday, she turns her attention to the women at the Danville Jail, where she hosts a book club.
"My goal is just to bring a little bit of joy and something to distract them with," said Williams.
Since starting her mission, Williams has given away 157,953 books, some of which have been received by inmate Blair McGrory.
"It makes you feel good inside that somebody cares enough about books and us that they make it a point to bring us a book that we can have and keep," McGrory said.
During the seven years of the book club's existence, the inmates have read a remarkable 2.2 million pages. The women express that the books allow them to experience a world beyond the jail walls.
"It really gets my mind off of the outside and helps me to focus on my future," Brenda Gunter, another inmate, said.
Williams goes beyond discussing the books; she takes the time to listen to the inmates' stories.
Gunter highlighted Williams's compassion, stating, "Jennifer has a very kind heart. She's a volunteer that sits there and makes our day better just by giving us blessings."
Gunter also praised Williams's patience, acknowledging the diversity of personalities in the group and how Williams manages to connect with each of them.
Just as they explore various genres of books, Williams shows unwavering support for all the women.
"I feel like they probably appreciate it more than a lot of groups because they don't have a lot of champions. They don't have a lot of, 'You can do this,' or 'Congratulations,' or 'That was awesome,'" Williams said.
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