MID-WILSHIRE : Book Sale Will Aid Wilton Place School

Bathroom repairs and lawn maintenance are part of the wish list a local elementary school hopes to fulfill with the help of a book sale Thursday and Friday at Central Plaza, 3460 Wilshire Blvd.

For the past two weeks, businesses in 22 buildings in the 3000 block of Wilshire have been gathering books from their employees in bins decorated by kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Wilton Place School.

This is the third year the book sale will help the school pay for expenses not covered by public school funds.

Public funds “don’t cover all the things we really want,” said Linda Dinerstein, assistant principal. “So this has been a wonderful project.”

Proceeds from each annual sale have averaged between $1,500 and $2,000, said Christine King, a spokeswoman for Central Plaza, which helped develop the book drives along with the Wilshire Chamber of Commerce. The collection bins were donated by Bekins Business Relocation.

In 1992, the school used book-sale funds to purchase instructional materials, including videocassette recorders and tape recorders. Last year, the school purchased computer software and microscopes for science classes.

Some instructional materials for teachers and students will be purchased this year, but the school’s greatest need right now is for preventive maintenance, Dinerstein said.

The Central Plaza book sale will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Book browsers will be able to snack on baked goods sold by Wilton Place parents and students.

For information or to donate books, call Alexandra Dia at Central Plaza, (213) 487-3770.