Foundations Support Rockford Public Library Summer Reading Club
Community Foundation and Daimler-Chrysler Corporation Fund give for reading
Rockford Public Library has received grants from two foundations to support its summer reading club, “Take Me to Your Reader.” The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois awarded the library $10,000 from its Community Needs Fund while the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund gave $5,000 to the program. The summer reading club is an annual event that encourages children to read over the summer to avoid “summer setback”, the decline in reading and critical thinking skills over the summer months.
Rockford Public Library’s summer reading club encourages children and young adults to read over the summer by offering incentives such as prizes, a book to keep, and tickets to the Finisher’s party at Magic Waters. The library also encourages adults to join the program to role model reading for their families and for chances to win gift certificates to local restaurants and two round-trip tickets to Orlando on Allegiant Air. All of this would not be possible without the generosity of program sponsors.
“Our summer reading club is our largest program of the year,” said Frank Novak, Executive Director of Rockford Public Library. “Every year we set new records for club participation and this year we anticipate over 10,000 joiners. We need sponsors to continue to grow the program while still providing the fun and entertainment families have come to expect from RPL.”
“The grant from the Community Foundation is a testament to the importance of this program for our community,” said Gloria Lundin at the Rockford Public Library Board meeting on June 18th where she presented the check. “We want to encourage you to keep doing great work.”
The 2007 “Take Me to Your Reader” sponsors include the Friends of Rockford Public Library, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, Amcore Bank, Williams Manny, Magic Waters, Papa John’s, Culver’s, Steak ‘n Shake, and Old Chicago.
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.
About the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois
As the area’s leading provider of philanthropic services, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois stewards over $58 million. Last year, the Foundation received $7.8 million in contributions from caring donors who wanted to give something back to their community.
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