The start of a year is synonymous with new resolutions and setting goals to accomplish them. However, according to a study conducted by the University of Scranton, 92 percent of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions.
The Wilkov family is a part of an elite group of goal-achievers. They followed through on a shared goal set in 2011 to collect one million books for Bernie’s Book Bank.
Andee and Willie Wilkov, with their two children, Ally and Ryan, celebrated reaching this incredible milestone on January 11 when they hand-delivered the one-millionth book. Darrin Utynek, Bernie’s Book Bank CEO, gathered team members with volunteers to announce and celebrate the Wilkov family’s accomplishment. Bernie’s Book Bank has a tradition of celebrating big wins by ringing a ceremonial bell. So, Ally and Ryan rang the bell together as team members and volunteers cheered.
When asked for a speech, Willie had a few words of wisdom to share with the group, “Our advice to everybody is to set goals and stick with them. You never know what kind of impact you can have on the lives of other people.”
Over ten years and one million books later, the Wilkov family accomplished their mission. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, hundreds of thousands of under-served children can read their way to a better life.
