The Book Drive for Kids organization wishes to to help create a culture of literacy by providing books for disadvantaged children for independent reading.
Independent reading is reading that is not tested, is content chosen by the reader, and is done for pleasure or personal fulfillment. Studies suggest that independent readers become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not. Today's guest speaker, Michelle Cook shared with our members how her organization which started with the simple concept of "recycling" children's books has grown to one that has provided 40,888 books to 36,330 students at the 93 book fair events hosted by Book Drive for Kids since 2017.
The weekly Lewisville Morning Rotary tradition of guest speakers signing
a children's book being donated to Central ES
Book Drive for Kids has 3 programs available to assure children in disadvantaged homes can receive books that they can read at home and become lifelong learners:
- Reading is FUNdamental Free Book Fairs - BDK will bring a free bookfair to a site at no charge to the organization or the participants. Each child selects, without adult intervention, the book(s) and oftentimes other educational print materials. For many children, it is the first book they can call their own.
- Fill-A-Shelf Initiative - Book Drive for Kids is committed to providing new and used books for classroom and school libraries. Oftentimes, the only books or time available to read is at school.
- Soaring Summer Readers program - In response to the typical summer slide in reading skill, as well as the lost learning from the COVID pandemic, Book Drive for Kids created the Soaring Summer Reader Program. This program offers collections of 6 or 10 books, curated to correlate with interests and TEKS requirements of children at grades Pre-K through 2nd grade.
Readers of this webpage story can find more information and donate to Book Drive for Kids by clicking here. A donation as small as $3.50 will provide a children's book that a disadvantaged child can read in their home and become a lifelong reader and learner.
