Now through Sunday, September 7, you can help KOIT help kids in the Bay Area. Donate new or slightly used books to the KOIT Kids Book Drive.
96.5 KOIT, in tandem with the Children’s Book Project and BookPALS, performing artists for literacy in schools, help distribute thousands of books each year – last year the KOIT Kids Book Drive alone collected over 10,000 books! With kids going back-to-school soon, books are desperately needed for our classrooms, along with shelters, community centers, daycare, and homeless shelters. Books are also given directly to children, many of whom have never before owned a book.
It’s easy! We’ve put book collection bins at 8 Bay Area locations of Mollie Stone’s Markets, Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, and The Hiller Aviation Museum in San Mateo. Just click here for a convenient book drop-off location near you, and look for the book collection bins with the bright blue bags!
What kind of books are needed?
We’re looking for new or slightly used books from pre-school through grade 12. Donated books are sorted according to subject matter and reading level and distributed.
Many of the books donated are ones children have outgrown – so why not sort through your bookshelves at home and donate books your family has outgrown to a child in need in the Bay Area? If you don’t have used children’s books, new books are always appreciated!
Why?
Research shows that children who read or have books read to them have an easier time learning than those who don’t have this experience. Evidence also shows that reading aloud to children actually helps their brain development. It’s all well and good to encourage families to read aloud, but how can they do this without available books?
This from Russ Henry, a teacher at Bayshore Elementary School –
“I am a first grade teacher who is desperate to get children’s books into the homes of my students. Many of them come from countries where books are beyond the reach of all but the elite. I want parents to know that having books in their homes is both possible and important for their children.”
The Children’s Book Project was founded to help build literacy by putting books into the hands of children who have little or no access to them. Since 1992, they have given over 1 million free books to children and the facilities that serve them.
Can’t donate a book? Donate money!
Now you can make financial donations to the Children’s Book Project online. Just go to www.childrensbookproject.org and click on the “donate now” button to make a private and secure donation.
Established in Los Angeles in 1993 by Barbara Bain, BookPALS now proudly claims 12 chapters throughout the country. Nationally, BookPALS' 2000 dedicated volunteers serve more than 100,000 preschool to 5th grade students weekly by reading aloud at public schools, hospitals, cultural institutions, on the phone and online.
BookPALS is founded on a clear premise: children must be exposed to the magic of books to develop a love of reading. Who better to make that magic come alive than actors gifted in the art of storytelling?
