‘If You Give A Child A Book’ program offers free books to students at the annual book fair

Salt Lake City, Utah – Through the “If You Give a Child a Book Campaign,” the Scripps Howard Fund collaborates with Cyprus Credit Union each year to provide free books to local students who are most in need of them.

The Guadalupe School in Salt Lake City hosted this year’s fall book fair.

Valerie Jones, assistant principal of Guadalupe School, describes the fair as having “kind of that Christmas Day excitement.”

And choosing your books is the finest part, according to Jones, exactly like the assortment of gifts beneath the Christmas tree.

According to Jones, “student choice, voice, and their selection of those books makes all the difference.” “I want to give them every opportunity we can because one of the biggest influences on their futures will be their reading levels and abilities.”

These are significant opportunities.

The foundation for the success of the student and their family is provided by these books.

“One of our goals is to have every student improve their reading and reading proficiency, which is why reading is a high priority at Guadalupe, especially since so many of our students were English-language learners this year,” adds Jones. “Having Spanish books available helps many of our Spanish-speaking families connect into English literacy in a way that they might not have with an English text, so offering those opportunities really helps involve the families in the educational process.”

A 2019 survey by the National Literacy Trust revealed that one in five kids did not have any books at home.

More than 1.3 million books have been given to students in Title I schools across the nation by the “If You Give a Child a Book Campaign,” with a target of 2 million books by 2026.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” It is a beautiful thing to witness every child, regardless of their family position, leave the book fair with a book in hand. I have worked in schools where I have witnessed students from lower socioeconomic means not be able to purchase books at the book fair,” adds Jones. “I’ve been trying not to cry all morning because it’s so tender and sweet.”

For when a child receives a book:

According to Jones, “Giving a child a book gives them the future.” “At Guadalupe, our mission is to transform lives via education. By providing books, we enable our students to expand on their natural curiosity and experience wonder.” Our true desire is for them to see far beyond the life they currently lead. Our goal is to prepare them for whatever lies ahead for them in the future.

If you would like to donate, every penny that is raised in Utah will be used in Title 1 Schools in Utah.

To donate, simply click this link.

Additionally, donations can be made at any Cyprus Credit Union store.