The Reading Nook.
Villa Maria College is proud to create a permanent home for Zeneta & Zaire’s Book Club Reading Nook as part of its Scott Bieler Center for Academic Excellence.
Zaire Goodman was the first person shot on Saturday, May 14, 2022, when a white supremacist opened fire in a grocery store on Jefferson Avenue.
Zaire was helping an elderly woman with her cart when he was shot in the neck. While Zaire miraculously survived, 10 of our neighbors were killed and two others injured simply because of the color of their skin.
Zeneta Everhart, Zaire’s mother and a 2008 graduate of Villa Maria College, was determined to use this horrific situation as an opportunity to create positive change.
She believes that educating our children is the way to make Western New York a stronger, safer, and more equitable place to live.
It is from this premise that Zeneta & Zaire’s Book Club was born.
Support the Community
The Reading Nook will be open to community members, providing them with a safe and welcoming space to grow as they read the books that have been donated by Zeneta and Zaire’s Book Club.
Support Education
The Book Club collects children’s books that teach young readers to acknowledge and celebrate Black history and cultural differences. Books are purchased from a list curated by Zeneta and Zaire.
Support Growth
All donated books are given out to community centers, schools, and other local organizations, allowing them to start important conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Support Change
The Reading Nook, and the books it will house, will foster a new generation of inclusive and compassionate leaders who will make this world a better place for all.
Support the Future
By contributing to the fund for Zeneta and Zaire’s Book Club Reading Nook, you and supporting their vision for a future full of unity, understanding, and limitless potential. To learn more about Zeneta and Zaire’s Book Club Reading Nook in The Bieler Center for Academic Excellence, contact:
Mary Robinson
Vice President for Development
[email protected] | 716.961.1823
