Webster's Corners elementary has been adopted by a program to help improve its library.
The Chapters book store in Coquitlam is fundraising on the Maple Ridge school's behalf, as part of Indigo’s 2016 Adopt a School program, during a three-week campaign.
All participating schools receive 100 per cent of donations raised at the store and online. Schools also receive 30 per cent off all books at Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores.
In schools where books are scarce, the goal is simple: add one new book for every student, transform school libraries, and build a brighter future for Canadian kids from coast-to-coast.
Since its inception in 2009, the Adopt a School program has put more than 325,000 books into the hands of children across the country.
“Canadian high-needs elementary schools are in crisis,” said Ariel Siller, executive director of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. “These schools severely lack the funds and resources they need to keep libraries up to date and student literacy rates high. In Canada, where a shocking 43 per cent of students leaving high school have insufficient literacy skills to cope with the demands of work and everyday life, the Adopt a School program supports literacy development at a young age, when the impact is greatest. We are proud to provide a program that supports local communities as they put books back at the heart of their school libraries, and inspire a love of reading in every Canadian child.”
The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation will offer a matching program for all online donations. With every $20 donation received, the school will receive a third book free.
Canadians can also support without a donation by sharing a short story on the online profile of a participating school. If that story is selected to be featured on the Adopt a School website, the foundation will donate a book to that school’s library.
The campaign continues until Oct. 9.
By addressing the underfunding of school libraries in Canada, wher 43% of students leaving high school don’t have the literacy skills needed for the majority of Canadian jobs[1], the Adopt a School program helps promote literacy in schools and the impact that access to additional books has on students.
Canadians can also donate directly to support nearly 300 participating schools through adoptaschool.indigo.ca, helping to bolster children’s literacy development and encourage a lifelong love of reading.