Today, Tok School received a $7,000 grant from The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. More than $930,000 in grants will be distributed to 160 school libraries across the country this year for the purchase of books and reading materials.
“As a former librarian, I know school libraries play an important role in improving student achievement and encouraging students to love reading.” said Mrs. Laura Bush. “With this grant, your librarian will make your library the perfect place for students to fall in love with reading.”
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provides grants of up to $7,000 to our Nation’s neediest schools so they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries with the goal of encouraging students to develop a love of reading and learning. Since its inception in 2002, it has awarded over $14.3 million to more than 2,700 schools across the country. In addition to the annual grants, the “Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative” in 2006 provided nearly $6.5 million to school libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to rebuild book collections lost or destroyed in the storms. This April while in Africa, Mrs. Bush announced the first ever international grants from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. Therisanyo School in Gaborone, Botswana and Ella Du Plessis High School in Windhoek, Namibia each received $2,500 towards their school libraries.
In 2014, The Laura Bush Foundation transitioned from the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, D.C. to the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, where it is managed as a restricted fund. More information can be found at www.laurabushfoundation.org.