A fall fundraising campaign underway by My Book of Lowndes County is key to continuing the work of the nonprofit organization based in Columbus. My Book’s primary focus is providing new books to children currently served by existing educational programs in the county.

“We seek to assist with reading and literacy to help build a foundation to help students meet the governor’s third grade reading gate, develop a love of reading and their own personal libraries,” said Qua Austin, My Book advisory board president.

In March, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill implementing an educational requirement that third graders must achieve functional literacy in order to be promoted to fourth grade. This “reading gate” is designed to ensure that students have better opportunities of succeeding at higher grades.

The current fundraising campaign hopes to raise $5,600 from individuals, businesses and groups in support of grants for the 2017-2018 school year. Four hundred and fifty first-graders are receiving books in the 2016-2017 academic year. The overall aim is building stronger students, schools and communities.

Since being established in 2015, My Book has distributed 4,317 books to students at Cook, Fairview, Sale, Stokes-Beard and West Lowndes elementary schools and at Franklin Academy. The WILL program (Women Influencing Lives Through Literature) at Columbus Middle School has also received books.

Advisory board members volunteer as ambassadors to area schools and daycare centers, awarding the grants, distributing books, reading with children and encouraging them to care for their books and share them with other family members.

Valuable resource

After a My Book grant is awarded, students receive five new books throughout the year that they can take home for their personal libraries. Grants allow selection of high quality, award-winning books at a cost of only $2.50 each. Many local teachers have integrated the program with their curriculums, making book selections that complement particular study units.

At Joe Cook Fine Arts Magnet School, first graders recently finished “One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote,’ a Cat in the Hat Learning Library book provided by a My Book grant. In simple rhyme, it introduces early readers to the concept of America’s elections, a timely topic.

“We selected it because it was about voting and the voting process, and teachers used that before the presidential election to introduce students to elections,” said Amy Hiller, the school’s librarian.

“The students absolutely are excited to get the books because they know these are books they get to take home and keep,” Hiller continued. “They report to us, ‘I’ve read my book!'”

West Lowndes Elementary School Librarian Melissa Parker said in a recent assessment of the My Book program, “The books provide teachers with resources to help motivate students to read, evidenced by an increase in second and third graders who met their Accelerated Reader goals during second semester of the 2015-2016 year, when book distributions took place, compared to first semester. My Book of Lowndes County is an irreplaceable resource in our community.”

How to help

Contributions are tax deductible. Donations may be mailed to My Book of Lowndes County, P.O. Box 1265, Columbus, MS 39703.

For more information about the organization, volunteer opportunities or having a representative speak to a civic group, call 662-549-2504.

Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.