Landrum Elementary received a $7,000 grant from The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. More than $831,000 in grants will be distributed to 130 school libraries across the country for the purchase of books and reading materials.
“The love of books – holding a book, turning its pages, looking at the pictures, hearing stories read out loud – is key to developing a child’s love for learning,” explains Mrs. Laura Bush. “The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries supports school libraries and the programs that encourage reading and learning. With a new and improved library, we can ensure that our children will have happy learning experiences at school and at home.”
Landrum Elementary Principal Dr. Eva Bisaillon said the school’s librarian, Hilda Hernandez, did a great job in compiling all the information required to complete the grant.
“She is completely dedicated to the success of each student at Landrum Elementary, and this is best exemplified by her going above and beyond for our students,” Bisaillon said.
Hernandez plans to use the funds to purchase nonfiction Science books that contain updated information to replace outdated ones, Spanish nonfiction and fiction books, and books that teachers can fit into the curriculum and meet students’ needs.
“I want our library to have a collection that will help facilitate learning in the classroom and foster the love of reading in our students,” Hernandez said.
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provides grants of up to $7,000 to our nation’s neediest schools so they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning. Since its inception in 2002, it has awarded over $13.4 million to more than 2,500 schools across the country.
In addition to the annual grants, the “Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative” in 2006 provided nearly $6.5 million to school libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to rebuild book collections lost or destroyed in the storms.
In 2014, The Laura Bush Foundation transitioned from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, D.C. to the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, where it is managed as a restricted fund.
Additional information can be found at laurabushfoundation.org.
