Great news for readers of all ages: Our Books for Kids collection drive at our metro Milwaukee branches brought in more than 1,700 books.

AVP and Brookfield Square Branch Manager Margie Brusa takes a ride on the slide at Next Door’s new HQ.

North Shore Bank’s kickoff event for the Tosa All-City Read on Sep 27 was a real asset to the drive, leading to our Wauwatosa branch collecting 435 books, the most of any branch. And Sussex deserves special praise, too, for collecting almost as many — 425 — with no special event taking place.

Sue Doyle speaks at the Next Door celebration.

In addition to the book drive and Tosa kickoff, bank representatives from the Corporate Community Outreach Committee also attended the 45th-anniversary celebration for Next Door, the nonprofit that operates Books for Kids. That event happened on Sep 18 at Next Door’s new location on 53rd and Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. SVP Sue Doyle is on Next Door’s board and co-chaired the celebration.