Library LEAP Grant Winners!

Posted by Erin on 05.20.2011 at 7:26 am

Did you know that an estimated 781 million adults are illiterate? That’s 1/7 of the planet. In the United States, 30 million adults possess below-basic literacy skills. And in Latin America, most children only attend school an average of 5.4 years.

Better World Books was founded on the promise to help decrease illiteracy and poverty around the world.  One of the many ways we try to help is through our LEAP for Library grants.

Funds that support LEAP Grants come from books sold on www.betterworldbooks.com. Every purchase contributes to either a specific literacy fund or goes into our general literacy fund.  Money from our general literacy fund is used to support our LEAP Grants.  We were able to use $75,000 from that fund to help support the work libraries are doing for their communities.

We reached out to thousands of libraries across the world and asked them to submit projects which were designed to help their immediate community. After our literacy and library council received and reviewed approximately $3.5 million dollars in grant requests we chose 6 library grant winners.

It was a difficult decision as so many library grant submissions are designed to help alleviate the dire statistics mentioned above.

LEAP stands for Literacy and Education in Action Program. Through our LEAP grants, we fund literacy and educational nonprofits and libraries for specific projects – the front lines of the fight to reduce global poverty through education.

Thanks to YOU donating and buying books from us some amazing literacy efforts are taking place in communities across the globe! Highlights from the winners:  Street-children in Ecuador will now have mobile libraries to enjoy and learn from. In Washington DC, library workshops will teach the parents and caregivers techniques, strategies, and resources they need to share books, songs, and conversation that will boost their children’s readiness to learn to read when they enter school. A South Dakota Juvenile Services Center will provide at-risk teenagers with a variety of new, age-appropriate reading resources that support and encourage the establishment of lifelong reading habits. Meaningful literacy engagement will be provided in Pennsylvania for children with the autism spectrum disorder. The first public library in the indigenous Maya community of Chajul, Guatemala will expand and sustain to encourage literacy, creativity, and community. Abused and neglected children in Indiana will be uplifted through the gift of books which provide information and inspirational support with their care-workers.

The winners were just chosen and we are thrilled to announce our first LEAP for Library Grantees!

• Palms for Life Mobile Library Improvement and Expansion in Ecuador $13,350
• Hughes County Juvenile Services Center Library $6,350
• Limitless Horizons: The First Library for Eager Learners in Guatemala $11,350
• District of Columbia Library: STAR Club Program for Early Literacy $12,650
• Knox County Library: At Risk Children Reading Intervention Program $17,450
• South Park Township Public Library: A Different Way to Turn the Page: Multisensory Literacy Experience for Children Living with Autism Spectrum Disorders $13,850

We’d love for you to explore the details of each recipients award winning literacy programming ideas here: www.betterworldbooks.com/librarygrants.

If you know of any exceptional library programs please share the stories below… Thank you!

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