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IMCPL, Colts and State to Collect Books for Foster Youth and Young Adults -- Initial Goal is 50,000 Books
December 13, 2006
IMCPL Programming Manager Melanie Wissel (right) describes how youth can receive age-appropriate book bags during the kickoff of the 'Books for Youth' initiative at the College Avenue Branch.
The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Indianapolis Colts are asking you for your help in educating our foster youth and young adults by collecting 50,000 books in the next year. On any given day in Marion County alone, more than 1,200 children are in the foster care system, and too often they leave their belongings behind. IMCPL and its partners want to change that by helping place 25 age appropriate books into the hands of each foster youth and young adult; and are asking for your support to make a smart handoff to Indiana's youth.
This special Books for Youth project brings awareness to the growing need for community involvement in caring for Indiana children. The initial goal is to collect 50,000 new and gently used books throughout the year that can be handed off to 2,000 foster youth and young adults in Marion County. After the initial goal is met, the program will then be implemented statewide.
"Children removed from their homes deserve to keep connections to the things that are meaningful to them. One of those is the connection to education and reading and having access to their own books is one simple way to let a child know that they are important and they will be connected to those things having importance in their lives,"stated James Payne, DCS Director.
"The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library is pleased to play a role in providing the gift of reading to our young people," stated Chris Cairo, IMCPL's Director of Programming and Product Development. "We encourage all citizens to visit their local branch library and drop off a book to help make a child's life complete," she added.
The idea is simple:
- The community will hold book drives throughout the year.
- Books collected will then be sorted by volunteer children's librarians from IMCPL into age appropriate categories.
- After being sorted by the librarians, volunteers will place 25 books in each bag.
- The bags of books will then be distributed to foster youth and young adults throughout Marion County.
- The end result is that children will have access to reading materials they can call their own.
The Books for Youth program is sponsored by IMCPL, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), and the Indianapolis Colts. Community partners such as Charter One and Finish Line have already begun their part in providing for Indiana's youth. Books from a Charter One Collection have already begun to be handed out to youth in bags donated by Finish Line.
To find out more on how to hold a donation drive or become a community partner, please visit www.IN.gov/dcs/booksforyouth or call 317.234.KIDS. Information is also available on-line for those interested in becoming a foster parent.
