Grant to help support 2010 Summer Reading Club

Rockford Public Library is the recipient of a grant from the AMCORE Foundation in the amount of $2,000 to support the library’s 2010 Summer Reading Club.

“We are extremely appreciative of the support we have received from AMCORE Foundation,” said Frank Novak, Executive Director of Rockford Public Library. “This grant will help us fund our largest program of the year at a time when our budget is extremely limited.”

The Summer Reading Club is designed to encourage school-age children to maintain their reading, critical thinking and analytical skills over the summer months to avoid ‘summer setback.’ While the focus is on children, Rockford Public Library’s reading club has grown over the years to include specific programs for children, young adults and adults. Last year, 10,800 people joined the Summer Reading Club.

“Encouraging kids to read is vital to developing literacy skills,” said Sue Stevens, Chair of the Summer Reading Club committee and Manager of the Youth Services Department at Rockford Public Library. “For us the most rewarding part is making the club fun and helping our participants find titles they want to read for leisure—not as part of an assignment.”

About the Library

The Rockford Public Library, founded in 1872 as the second library in Illinois, currently has six facilities, including the Main Library and five Branch Libraries. The Rockford Public Library’s mission is to enhance community life and development by informing, educating, entertaining, and providing cultural enrichment to all people of all ages by collecting information to address the diverse interests of our dynamic community.

215 North Wyman Street, Rockford IL 61101, Phone: 815-965-7606, Fax: 815-965-0866

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