Family honors son's memory with annual free book donation to students
Mar 28, 2025
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Students at School No. 46 in Rochester got free books Friday thanks to an annual donation from a local family.
The family of Gian Ortiz honors their son's memory every year by reading and donating books to a class in the grade Gian would have been in.
Gian was two w
hen he died seven years ago, so today the family visited a fourth-grade class to help keep his memory alive.
"Gian loved us reading books to him. He always had a smile when we read to him. So it's great to see the smiles on the kids when we read to them. Also, for them to take books home, we understand how big literacy is in a child and we want to make sure we encourage that on a yearly basis,"
The effort is a partnership between the Ortiz family and the Rochester Education Foundation.
Some of the books donated Friday include 'Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants', 'Nino Wrestles the World', and 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'. ...read more read less