This past October, NikeTalk donated $4,116 to Access Books, a charitable organization designed to renovate and supply the libraries of underfunded inner city public schools.
Recently, the founder of Access Books, Dr. Rebecca Constantino, contacted me with an update regarding our donation - and I'd like to share that with all of you.
Here's what she wrote:
"I have attached information on the school your grant assisted. It helped to purchase one third of the books- quite a lot! If you would like, I can send short notes from the students to your physical address- this may be a lot of work for you to put on your webpage. Just let me know.
The schools we serve have at least 90% of their population receiving Title 1 funding, with most students living at or below the poverty line. Since school library funding in California is the lowest in the nation, the school libraries are dismal. Most have more students than books and the books are old and outdated, with the average year of publication in the 1960s. The students at these schools have little, if any, access to books in their home or community libraries. A new, well-stocked library will make a huge difference in the lives of the students and teachers. Not only will the books assist in academic achievement, they will help children discover the joy of reading.
To date, we have provided over one million books to schools in the greater Los Angeles area. We could not do it without support from donors like you. Once again, thanks."
Attached was a document with information on the school along with pictures of the murals painted by Access Books volunteers:
Just yesterday, I received an envelope from Access Books full of notes from students. I scanned a few of them for you all to enjoy, I hope they bring a smile to your faces as well:
Thanks once again to all of you for helping us continue to make donations like this one. I'm proud to be affiliated with the NikeTalk community, and I hope each of you feels the same way.
We'll have some new donations to announce soon, too. Stay focused.
Recently, the founder of Access Books, Dr. Rebecca Constantino, contacted me with an update regarding our donation - and I'd like to share that with all of you.
Here's what she wrote:
"I have attached information on the school your grant assisted. It helped to purchase one third of the books- quite a lot! If you would like, I can send short notes from the students to your physical address- this may be a lot of work for you to put on your webpage. Just let me know.
The schools we serve have at least 90% of their population receiving Title 1 funding, with most students living at or below the poverty line. Since school library funding in California is the lowest in the nation, the school libraries are dismal. Most have more students than books and the books are old and outdated, with the average year of publication in the 1960s. The students at these schools have little, if any, access to books in their home or community libraries. A new, well-stocked library will make a huge difference in the lives of the students and teachers. Not only will the books assist in academic achievement, they will help children discover the joy of reading.
To date, we have provided over one million books to schools in the greater Los Angeles area. We could not do it without support from donors like you. Once again, thanks."
Attached was a document with information on the school along with pictures of the murals painted by Access Books volunteers:
Quote:
Park Avenue School is located in the heart of South Gate, an industrial community southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The many schools are nestled among industrial warehouses and factories. This is probably why schools such as Park Avenue close the playground every two years for resurfacing- an oozy substance seeps through the blacktop which makes resurfacing necessary.
The school is a Title 1 school which means its population lives at or below poverty. Most are children of immigrants and are acquiring English along with their core subjects. The school library serves close to 800 students with less than 10 books per child (the national school library association recommends 25). They had fewer than 10 copies of all the Harry Potter books, only 15 copies of Goosebumps and less than 20 copies of Curious George.
The grant money was used to purchase a large core set of books with included the popular titles that children want to read as well as books requested by the teachers such as Eyewitness Books. Also, each classroom received a core set of books. In total, we provided over 10,000 books to the school and classroom libraries.
We had over 50 volunteers help paint numerous murals as well as sort the books. It was a very successful day and the students and teachers were thrilled with the results. Students will enjoy and read the books for many years.
Just yesterday, I received an envelope from Access Books full of notes from students. I scanned a few of them for you all to enjoy, I hope they bring a smile to your faces as well:
Thanks once again to all of you for helping us continue to make donations like this one. I'm proud to be affiliated with the NikeTalk community, and I hope each of you feels the same way.
We'll have some new donations to announce soon, too. Stay focused.
