On Friday morning, May 31st, Nana’s Books President Dr. Dennis Dulniak, John F. Kennedy High School graduate 1969, distributed 904 grade-appropriate books to the 342 students at the Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Cheektowaga where each student received at least one book. Assisting were three JFK ‘69 graduates Jim and Elaine Rudnicki and local author Rick Falkowski who each attended the TR school. Principal Jeff Mochrie and Librarian Allison Balk accepted a stack of books that represented titles shared among each student and classroom library. “This is an amazing contribution for our students that help their reading skills and education to better understand the importance of loving kindness and compassion, key values shared among our teachers.” Channel 4 News filmed Dr. Dulniak reading to a Kindergarten class and sharing the purpose of Nana’s Books, founded to honor his wife Nancy, a lifelong librarian who died from Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2021.

On Friday afternoon, May 31st, Nana’s Books delivered 445 books for Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Sloan for their 273 students. Principal Beth Zaccarine and Librarian Bill Weisemore were most appreciative to add these books to their library collection. Dr. Dulniak read a book to several classes and answered questions from very inquisitive students. Principal Zaccarine intends to distribute the books during Reading Week, which happens to be this week.

“I am thrilled that my wife’s legacy of education and literacy has expanded into my hometown school district and library,” said Dennis Dulniak, 1969 graduate of John F.
Kennedy High School. “Through our Foundation, we want to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s and disabilities, and give students and families the resources to better
cope with this condition.”

This spring, the Foundation is donating books to eight Title I schools with 3,378 students including Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Sloan, NY, and Theodore Roosevelt
Elementary in Cheektowaga, NY, Mooreland Heights Elementary in Knoxville, TN, Austin T. Levy and William L. Callahan in Harrisville, RI, Park Crest Elementary in
Garland, TX, Shady Grove Elementary in Ambler, PA, Owings Mills Elementary in Owings Mills, MD, The Foundation is working to provide each student in these Title I
schools with a grade-appropriate book, as well as a set of related books on Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other disabilities for each of the 161 classroom libraries,
school library, and neighboring public library.

To learn more about the Nana’s Books Foundation and the life of Nancy J. Downey Dulniak, visit www.NanasBooks.org.

Donations to support the nationwide effort to educate students and community, and prepare them to be more accepting, compassionate and better caregivers can be made online at https://www.nanasbooks.org and https://www.facebook.com/nanasbooks.