I was listening to a Book Riot podcast the other day and they were discussing James Patterson’s announcement that he is putting up $250,000 to give to independent book sellers as a Christmas bonus. On the podcast they were discussing what they would do with the money if it was there money. One suggestion was that it should be put in a pot of money that they could access if they had emergency medical issues since insurance for independent book sellers can be super expensive and hard to come by.
I kind of thought it was interesting to think what YOU or
*I* would do if we had the extra $250,000 to use for literacy.
1.
I would put money towards Imagination Library. Total: $100,000
“In 1995, Dolly Parton launched an
exciting new effort, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, to benefit the
children of her home county in East Tennessee, USA. Dolly's vision was to
foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families
by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month. By
mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, she wanted
children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create.
Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of
their family’s income. “ – Imagination Library website
I’ve had my daughter
signed up since her first birthday. I
didn’t do it the first year because honestly, we have a ton of books. We have more books than we need. As she got older and could get the excitement
of getting mail, I signed her up. However,
you can sign your child up as soon as they are born. Inside the jacket of each book they have
reading prompts and activities you can ask/ do with your child. Such a great program for families who CAN’T
afford books. I’m a huge proponent of
early literacy and this is an amazing program.
You can check out the website for more information and to find out if
you have it in your area. The average
cost is about $25/30 per year for each kid.
2.
Find local teachers and ask them what books
they need for their classroom. Total:
$100,000
Books are expensive. It’s hard when you are teaching and you KNOW
that to get kids excited about reading you need a broad selection. It’s hard to keep your stock up to date with
new stuff (covers do attract readers, and the look of it came from the 80s, not
so appealing!). To distribute I’d give
out checks or ask if they would want the books directly purchased and
sent. (Teachers have limited time!)
On a side note, I’d definitely
suggest if you are a teacher, to have an amazon wish list of books for your
classroom libraries that you can share with parents or just for your own
knowledge for if you are asked what books your classroom needs!
3.
Give the rest to local school libraries. Total: $50,000
Money is tight. School libraries (in MY schooling experience)
had even OLDER books than the classroom teacher’s stash. I’d once again ask if they wanted directly purchased
or given money. But I’d stipulate that
all money was put on new book purchases/replacing old books. If that means you need to donate some books
to make more space on bookshelves so be it.
Perhaps, money to be spent on ONE new bookshelf, but let’s excite readers. Out with the not going to be touched and in
with the READ ME books.
How would you spend $250,000 towards reading/literacy? What
local resources do you know that help promote reading/literacy? If you can’t
name one, I challenge you to do some research today and find out about local
resources and potentially HOW YOU CAN help make a difference.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi
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