Tribute to the passing of Two Extrordinary People & partners of Project Flight

Olga E. Karman 84, poet, educator, Hispanic leader from 1940 -July 2025, and John Spears, Inspirational Library Director, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, from 1974- July 2025. These words exemplify the unbelievable gift and courage these two have given to the world in deeds and service. “There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” ~ Richard Attenborough

On June 13th, 2000, the nationally acclaimed Cecelia Bard Multicultural Library for Peace was established and kicked off at the E. H. Butler Library at Buffalo State University by activist, educator and poet Olga Karman, shown here with provost Gary Marotta, Dr. Geraldine Bard; Co-Director of Project Flight and Maryruth Glogowski, then Director of the E. H. Butler Library.

Project Flight's Abstract of the Cecilia Bard Multicultural Library for Peace started ith Olga Karman and Dr. Bard (2000-Present)

Since the year 2000, Project Flight has contributed more than eight thousand books, valued at approximately quarter a million dollars, to this award-winning collection.  These books offer the Buffalo State University community a wide variety of children and adult fiction and nonfiction titles dealing with diverse populations of increasing importance to our own students as they prepare to embark on careers where they will interact with people in a global world.  The books cover issues of great importance to society and enhance the resources available for study in the areas of multiculturalism and diversity.  According to Dr. Bard, “These books will enrich students’ lives and provide a way for them to understand and appreciate the beautiful mosaic that makes up world culture. They will also offer pathways for students to discover a common ground for unity and peace as well as respect for their and other differences.”  We know this collection will greatly assist the Library and the University in meeting its mission and the University’s NCATE and Middle States accreditation standards.

This award-winning multicultural peace literacy special collection, recognized in 2024 by the American Library Association as one of three in the country that enhances peace through literacy, is one tool that can be used to develop knowledge, values, and skills that are needed to understand, build, and sustain peace within us, in our communities, and the world. This library attempts to do this by:

  • empowering learners through social emotional learning to understand the underlying principles of creating a non-violent world anchored in dignity, purpose, and meaning,
  • supporting people in creating a skill set to find purpose, meaning, and self-worth through developing communication, conflict resolution, understanding, and empathy in sustaining peace, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging while respecting and accepting the rights of others,
  • creating systemic change that integrates compassion and humanity through leadership, education, and empowerment through peace literacy, and compassionate action,
  • providing an educational literacy library for young children to facilitate ideas on peace, volunteering, and supervised community outreach about these topics, and for older children participation in higher-level learning by researching, writing, and developing community-based projects focused on equity, social justice, and peace.

Project Flight Co-Directors, Dr. Betty Cappella; Dr. Geraldine Bard and Board kick off the Books for Kids book drive at the North Park Library with our Books for Kids partners pictured from left to right: Colleen Nossavage (WGRZ-Channel 2); John Spears (Late Director of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System), Lauren Hall (WGRZ-Channel 2), Dr. Betty Cappella (Project Flight), Sheila Rayam (Former Editor of The Buffalo News), Dr. Geraldine Bard (Project Flight), Laurie Risa (Wegmans), Lisa Cislo (The Buffalo News), Michelle Mahaffey (Community Relations and PR Manager-Wegmans) and Joy Testa Cinquino (Assistant Deputy Director-Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System)

Project Flight’s Abstract of work with the Library’s Directors since 2008 and continued under the brilliant director John Spears until his passing.

While Project Flight’s work with the library began in 2008 on various projects, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library system provided space for the Project Flight Cappella Book Bank in March of 2010 at the central branch. We began our partnership with then Director Bridget Quinn Carey in 2008 and when she left in 2011, we continued our partnership with Director Mary Jean Jakubowski until she retired in 2021. In 2022, we continued under the Director, John Spears who succumbed to cancer this past July.

The Cappella Book Bank, housed at the central library, is the heart of the operation where Flight receives and distributes millions of books to numerous agencies and schools that promote literacy for children in the Western New York area as well as overseas. In 2010, the library was invited by Project Flight to be one of its partners in its ongoing Books for Kids drive.  In 2014, Project Flight also invited the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library to join Project Flight as a major partner for its program developed with the Governor of New York, entitled “Leaders are Readers” literacy initiative to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. The literacy drive was started in 2004 and was held in New York City, Albany, and Buffalo, representing the 3 areas of the state. For this literacy drive, state agencies are asked to collect new books for children from pre-k through high school. For Buffalo, most of the books donated during the MLK literacy drive were from Project Flight and distributed to children in the schools selected based on their application. Director John Spears was one of Projects Flight’s greatest advocates and we, in turn, became one of the library’s most devoted Partners in our fight against illiteracy.

In response to the needs of the Western New York Community, Project Flight has, to date, provided the library with close to one half a million books and other supplies. These books and materials have been distributed to the libraries that comprise the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System. Most of the books have been donated to the Central branch which, in turn, distributes books and materials to their branches for various programs.

The Library and the Western New York Community has lost John Spears, one of its luminaries, and he will be missed and those of us who remain will continue his work for equality, freedom and literacy for all.

Project Flight Co-Directors, Dr. Betty Cappella; Dr. Geraldine Bard and Board kick off the Books for Kids book drive at the North Park Library with our Books for Kids partners including John Spears, Director of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and representatives of WGRZ Channel 2, The Buffalo News, Wegmans, and WBLK.

Project Flight Board and John Spears. Pictured from left to right:

The Late Debbie Renzi, Dr. Betty Cappella, John Spears, Dr. Geraldine Bard, Gerriann Ronsen (Board President), Dr. Barbara Bontempo (Board Treasurer), Joan McCool. 

Not pictured: A. Laurie K. Brosnahan, Chistopher Hulsman, Dr. Michelle Ninacs, John Renda, Ellen Spencer (Board Secretary), Kaylene Waite.