Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has announced the participation of Powell River’s École Côte-du-Soleil in its Adopt a School program, which runs from September 14 to October 6. The fundraising initiative connects Coles in Powell River Town Centre Mall with the school and surrounding community to help provide support for additional library resources.
With a library budget of less than $30 per student for the entire year, École Côte-du-Soleil will have an opportunity to upgrade its library collection and enrich the lives and education of its students, according to a media release from the foundation.
“A lifelong love of reading and educational success is possible for every Canadian child,” stated Heather Reisman, chair of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. “However, we face a significant challenge with the funding of public elementary school libraries across Canada where small or nonexistent library budgets are the reality. The burden is unfairly falling on our teachers, who are putting their hands into their own pockets to buy books and educational resources for their classrooms. We as a country need to do better to ensure that all students become engaged readers.”
École Côte-du-Soleil is one of 182 Canadian elementary schools adopted by Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores that will fundraise on their behalf. Supporters can participate by making a donation in-store or through the Adopt a School registry at indigo.ca.
Each school’s registry will consist of 50 books for supporters to shop for during the campaign. When a book is purchased from a school’s registry, Indigo will double the impact of each customer’s donation by providing an additional copy of that book to the school, enabling more children and youth to benefit.
The Adopt a School program is now in its 11th year supporting children’s literacy. 100 per cent of funds raised through in-store donations are given to schools at the end of the program.
