Thank you to to Bright Star Books for sharing a great program last week! Executive Director, Keith Seher explained that it was his three year old who sparked the idea of the book donation drive when his parents explained to him that some children do not have books. The non-profit's mission is to promote a culture of reading by increasing access to and ownership of books for limited resource children in the Greater Akron region. Since their inception, over 170,000 books have been placed in the hands of low-income children who may not be able to own books otherwise. The distribution is primarily done through Akron Public Schools, the WIC Program and Good Neighbor Pantry. William Needleman, an Americorps volunteer, who is part of their staff explained that 61% of low income children do not have books in their home, but that books relate to cognitive ability and financial stability for the future. Children who do not score at an adequate reading level in third grade are the students most likely to drop out of school later. Kait Laux explained that most of their books are donated. Schools in our district have done book drives and anyone can donate. Take books to their 1357 Home Ave. address in Akron or Round Two Kids on Graham Rd. or the Learned Owl in Hudson. Board books are particularly in high demand. To learn more about the project, go to www.brightstarbooks.org. |
