12-03-2025
United Way of NYC's free book initiative in Bronx boosts literacy
THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Bronx small business owner is helping families with children under five years old get free books.
It's all thanks to the United Way of New York City giving hundreds of thousands of books across our area.
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At the United Way of NYC 19th Annual Power of Women to Make a Difference luncheon, Lillian Guzman is one of those powerful women making it happen in her Bronx neighborhood. Lillian Cortes-Guzman is a mother of four she made sure books were a big part of her children's lives. One of her proudest achievements is her 21-year-old daughter Nia Pack.
Cortes-Guzman is the owner of Happy Tots, a beloved and respected daycare on 145th Street in Mott Haven for more than 20 years and a trusted partner in the United Way of NYC's Books from Birth program. It's a free book delivery program that has helped give more than 400,000 books since 2019.
Grace Bonilla is the president and CEO of the United Way of NYC which runs the program. Bonilla hosted the United Way of NYC 19th Annual Power of Women to Make a Difference luncheon, celebrating community champions, women leading the way, and helping to raise money for dozens of programs like the Books from Birth program. Bonilla says the key to a child's success and learning is reading early.
In 2023, PIX11's Monica Morales went with Grace Bonilla the president and CEO of the United Way of NYC, to where she was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. She says it's where she first learned her sense of community and service.
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