Bernie’s Book Bank and the Patrick Mannelly Award have partnered together to shine a spotlight on the long snapper position in college football. Bernie’s Book Bank is the charity beneficiary of the Patrick Mannelly Award. In its inaugural year, this award will be presented to the highest performing long snapper in Division I football. As […]
“Everything happens for a reason.” It’s the type of phrase that a freshman in college gets tattooed on their ribs in flowing script, the type of phrase a grandparent optimistically proclaims when a child spills their freshly prepared ice cream all over the floor. This saying, both cliched and somehow profound, has been ingrained into […]
His name is Bill Nixon. If you have ever stepped foot into the processing center of Bernie’s Book Bank, you have seen him. Alright, maybe you haven’t seen him. But you have definitely heard him. It is the voice that many volunteers hear before, during and after their shift in the processing center. But where […]
The Lake Forest High School Transition Program is designed to prepare students with disabilities, aged 18-22, with the “social, vocational, and personal management skills” necessary to become an engaged and supportive component of their communities. One of the most helpful activities for students in the program is volunteering. Volunteering gives these students the chance to […]
The doors slide open to another group of Wednesday volunteers at 9:30 AM. Corporate workers from the surrounding area shuffle in, wearily rubbing their eyes. Alongside them, middle-school aged students excitedly run circles around their teachers. It is the earliest volunteering time-slot at Bernie’s Book Bank, and everyone gathers together at the front of the […]