Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) on Thursday delivered more than 30 sports-related books to Cohoes Middle School. The books came from the Library of Congress (LOC) as part of their Book Surplus Program.
The LOC receives about 20,000 books per day, but can only house about 10,000. The surplus books are distributed around the country to libraries looking to expand their collections.
Physical education teacher Teresa Gendron requested and received books on famous athletes, sports teams, and health and wellness. About 20 middle school student-athletes attended the Q&A with Congressman Tonko.
“Now they have more resources to learn about how famous athletes prepare, train, and take care of themselves,” Gendron said. “They’re going to read about what interests them, and athletes want to learn about other athletes.”
In appreciation for his visit, Principal Dan Martinelli presented Rep. Tonko with a Cohoes Tigers hat.
“When I look at that ‘C’ I’ll think of Cohoes, but also ‘class’ and ‘character,'” Tonko said. “I think your generation is rising to the challenge to fight for a better tomorrow,” he told the students.