Balise Toyota Presents $10,000 to Link to Libraries

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Balise Toyota has made a $5,000 donation to Link to Libraries for the Stephen Kaplan and Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund, which has been matched by Toyota Motor Sales through the Toyota Dealer Match Program, resulting in a $10,000 total donation.

Link to Libraries distributes books to local schools and children in need, aiming to help enhance their language and literacy skills. In April, Link to Libraries announced the launch of the Stephen Kaplan and Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund as a tribute to Link to Libraries founder Susan Jaye-Kaplan and to her husband, Steve, who passed away in January after a long battle with cancer.

This fund will support special requests from community partners in need of books beyond what the organization’s established programs typically provide. Some previous examples include providing books in foreign languages for refugees, books for the Salvation Army’s Toys for Joy campaign, and replacement books for a Springfield school whose library flooded.

“We are so grateful to Balise Toyota and to Toyota Motor Corporation for this incredibly generous donation to our newly launched Steve Kaplan and Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund,” said Laurie Flynn, president and CEO of Link to Libraries. “These funds will enable us to inspire young readers through the purchase of close to 2,500 books in support of children and families in need in our community. Balise Motor Sales has partnered with Link to Libraries for more than a decade, and we are so grateful for their continued support.”

Balise Toyota is part of the Balise Auto Group, which has a long history of supporting local youth development programs in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities that they serve.