Broadview resident creates legacy of literacy through Dusty Reads

by Emily Canning-Dean

More than a decade ago, Judy Brillinger began a journey to honor her late son. In that time, she has placed more than 56,000 books in the hands of children locally and abroad through her book program, Dusty Reads.

“My son, Dustin, passed away 13 years ago in October,” the Broadview Heights resident said. “I went to grief counseling and spent about 18 months praying to turn pain into purpose. Dustin loved to read. He had a degree in English and four huge bookshelves in his house. He loved to give books as gifts. I also love children’s books, and I decided this would be a good way to honor him.

“Before COVID, I bought a portable wagon and would go to daycares, Sunday schools and Head Start programs to offer books to children who might not have access to them.”

As the years went by, Brillinger found even more ways to distribute books to children who might not have an opportunity to get their hands on them. She has regularly donated books to the African Library Project, an organization that launches and improves local libraries in Africa with the help of local partners and communities.

“I had gone on five international mission trips when I was in my 50s and two were in Africa,” Brillinger said. “I love Africa, but I saw how destitute many people are and how they can’t afford even one book.”

Brillinger also recalled that when Dustin was younger, he worked at Whole Foods and some of his coworkers were Sudanese refugees orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War.

“Dustin would spend his lunch breaks tutoring them and proofreading their papers,” she said. “I knew this is something he would be passionate about.”

After collecting either 500 or 1,000 books at a time, Brillinger will ship them to a warehouse in New Orleans where they are sent on to local libraries in African countries.

“I just finished packing up one to send,” she said.

Along with the thousands of books she has sent to Africa and the area schools and daycares where she has donated books, Brillinger has also helped set up and maintain four Little Free Libraries in Northeast Ohio. These are boxes, usually outside of a home or business, that are stocked with books. People can take a book for themselves and can also drop books off they no longer want so others can enjoy them.

One is in her front yard in Broadview Heights. It has a Dr. Seuss theme and proudly sports the name “Dusty Reads” on the front. Brillinger also set up a Little Library for a friend who works at East Preparatory Academy in Cleveland.

“My daughter is an occupational therapist, and I found a nice one for her on Etsy which is an older newspaper machine that has been redone,” she said. “We wanted a really large one as she works with kids who are in occupational therapy and speech therapy, so they enjoy getting to pick up books from the Little Library. My daughter’s husband owns a printing shop in Wickliffe so we also set one up outside of his business.”

Brillinger said individuals across Northeast Ohio and in Broadview Heights have been very generous when it comes to donating books for all of Dusty Reads’ endeavors.

“I’m not very good at social media, but a friend helped me set up a Dusty Reads Facebook page,” she said. “I will have people from other cities message me and I can come pick up books from them and I have neighbors who will leave boxes of books on my front porch. Often, they are books that their own kids have outgrown. I also go to a lot of library book sales.”

Brillinger said she hopes to continue the endeavor of getting books to children for many years to come. She added that anyone can set up a Little Free Library and it doesn’t need to be registered. But anyone who wants to register their Little Library should visit littlefreelibrary.org where they can purchase a metal placard that has a registration number on it.

“Then they can go to the Little Free Libraries map to register it using that number so others can locate it,” she said.

Photo caption: One of the Dusty Reads Free Little Libraries is located in Broadview Heights near the city’s community center. Photo submitted.