Holiday donations to support literacy program

By KATE SCHOTT - kschott@daily-chronicle.com

The Borders in DeKalb is one of 64 bookstores in the state taking part in a fundraising initiative this holiday season that aims to give books to local literacy programs.

The Holiday Literacy Donation Program starts today and runs through Dec. 31, according to a news release from Secretary of State Jesse White’s office. It is a partnership, now in its sixth year, between the Illinois Literacy Foundation, the bookstores and the literacy programs. The ILF was created in 1992 by the Secretary of State’s office.

Each bookstore will give customers the opportunity to add a dollar or more to their purchase to benefit a local literacy initiative - in DeKalb’s case, the money will go toward programs at Kishwaukee College in Malta.

Julie Morsch, general manager of the Borders in DeKalb, said the store enjoys taking part in the initiative because it is “worthwhile to see books go where they need to be.”

The local Borders has taken part in the program for several years, Morsch said. Cashiers will “talk it up” as they ring up purchases, she said. Once it’s over, representatives from the Kishwaukee College programs will visit the store and choose the books they need.

“It’s a very cool thing,” Morsch said. “One of the things that we are just way excited about is that we know it benefits our community.”

Carla Raynor, coordinator of the family literacy program at Kishwaukee College, said the donations will benefit her program as well as the school’s literacy program.

The family literacy program offers childcare to parents who are enrolled in English as a second language, adult basic education or GED classes. The literacy program works to improve the reading, math or English language skills for adults whose literacy levels are below the ninth grade, according to the Kishwaukee College Web site.

Raynor said she hopes customers donate because they’ll know the money is staying local.

The initiative provided about $1,300 to the Kishwaukee College programs last year, Raynor said. Borders gives the college gift cards, Raynor said, and then the program coordinators go into the store and buy the resources they need.

“It’s an excellent program that helps local areas with literacy, and literacy is a key area for education,” Raynor said. “As everyone knows, the more education you have, the better it is for families.”