In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Union Ridge Elementary School launched a heartwarming project that brought the Ridgefield community together in an extraordinary way. What began as an experiment by Librarian Jubilee Roth to help clear long-standing student library fines quickly transformed into a story of collective generosity, restored access, and a powerful reminder of what happens when a community steps up for its kids.
Roth said she first encountered the idea through another school librarian who regularly crowdsourced book replacements via social media. The concept was simple: families or community members could purchase replacement books from an online wish list, allowing schools to clear fees from student accounts while also replenishing their library shelves. Roth immediately recognized how meaningful this could be at Union Ridge.
“I was like, oh my gosh, we can do this—yeah, we can do this,” she recalled.
Union Ridge Tater Tots had 74 outstanding book fees, some of which belonged not only to current students but also to children now in intermediate, middle, or even high school. For many families, the fines—often the result of books lost years earlier—had simply slipped off the radar. Others were long-term losses unlikely to be found. Regardless of the reason, the fines represented real barriers for students, who often felt embarrassed or hesitant when checking out new books.
Roth meticulously compiled all of the outstanding book titles into a spreadsheet and created an Amazon wish list with exact replacements. Whenever a book was no longer in print, she added a comparable title that filled the same niche in the collection. She then shared the campaign with families via ParentSquare.
The response was immediate.
“In the first week, we got a little over 30—maybe like 33—books purchased and sent to the library,” Roth said. “I thought that was a really, really good number.” Encouraged, she decided to post the list one more time, just in case busy families had meant to participate but hadn’t yet gotten around to it.
What happened next stunned her.
“Within an hour of me sending out the second post, it was all purchased. One hundred percent. All 74 fees were cleared,” she said. “I was ecstatic to the point that I had to go find (school principal) Angie Gaub in the building and tell her, ‘Hey, do you need some good news?’”
The flood of generosity mirrored other recent giving efforts at Union Ridge, including the school’s Spirit Giving Tree, which families completely fulfilled in just a few days.
Each delivery of an Amazon box to the library brought not just a replacement book, but renewed opportunity for a student. Roth emphasized how meaningful the impact is for children.
“This takes a burden off of the families, and it brings the books back into the library,” she said. “And it allows those students to check out additional books. I always let kids check out books, but this allows them to check out even more since they don’t have any fees attached to their account.”
She also noted that even though the staff handles overdue books with sensitivity and respect, students often internalize worry or embarrassment when they know they’ve lost a book. Clearing the fines didn’t just remove a financial burden—it removed an emotional one.
Roth explained that students may check out books for up to three weeks and renew them as needed. After 30 days late, books become overdue; after another several weeks without return, district policy requires that they be converted to a fee. If families find and return the book within six months of paying the fee, they are eligible for a refund. Often, Roth said, families simply choose to replace the book directly, which is faster, simpler, and less costly for everyone.
But this fall’s schoolwide effort allowed the building to clear every single fine at once—something Roth had never experienced before.
“I was floored that it went so quickly and was all covered,” she said. “The generosity totally warmed my heart.”
Union Ridge Assistant Principal Christine Fledderjohan said the impact goes far beyond the library.
“It was really exciting that this was a staff-driven initiative and that Jubilee put it all together for us,” Fledderjohan said. “The impact on kids and families is that they don’t have that pressure and stress of what happened to those lost books and how that might be impacting their finances. We don’t know what people are going through, and removing that extra layer of worry is huge.”
For Roth, the campaign is a reminder of the compassion that defines Ridgefield.
“This is a perfect example of what makes our community so special. People were super generous and quick to help, and I just want to extend a great big thank you to everyone,” she said.