Fresno City College received a generous gift of 500 children’s books from an unusual donor, a 9-year-old.

Danay Ferguson, a young book enthusiast, made the sizeable donation at a small ceremony held in front of the Old Administration Building on Nov. 13.

The donation was on behalf of Reading Heart, her nonprofit book donation program.

The books are expected to be gifted to children of approximately 300 FCC students who have been nominated to receive a holiday gift as part of the college’s Hope for the Holidays program.

The Hope for the Holiday gifts will be distributed on Dec. 3 and 4 in the cafeteria and will include one children’s book and a gift card from Savemart to spend on their families.

“I think this a great opportunity for students to feel embraced by the campus,” said Maile Martin, chair for the Hope for the Holidays committee.

Danay Ferguson, accompanied by her parents, kicked off the ceremony.

The student activities office staff helped set up the display in front of the OAB.

Ferguson posed for pictures as she held a plaque awarded to her in recognition of her donation.

“We’re extremely proud,” Dwayne Ferguson, Danay Ferguson’s father, said. “She’s done very well and collected about 60,000 and has distributed almost 15,000 [books].”

Reading Heart is a program that provides books to areas where children do not have access to books.

The program’s main goal is to make sure that all children have a book to read, no matter where they are.