The Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State has teamed up with First Book Fresno to promote this year’s annual Holiday Gift Project Fundraiser for kids.
The fundraiser is being held between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. Proceeds will go to provide books and “gifts of literacy” to children who participate in programs offered by the Bulldog Pantry.
As the holiday season nears, Fresno State and First Book Fresno are calling for the support and good will of the community. The money raised will go to buying new books for children from low-income families who do not have the resources or access in their communities to new books and learning resources.
First Book is a nation-wide fundraising program which brings together non profit organizations, businesses and community programs to help provide books to kids in need. It has distributed more than 90 million books and learning tools to programs serving low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.
Some organizations that work directly with First Book include United Way, Disney, Target and Feeding America, along with many more. Every sponsor helps host fundraisers, like the Holiday Gift Project Fundraiser, to raise money to purchase books and distribute them in communities around America.
“This project’s goal is to put books in the homes of children in order to instill an excitement for reading, increase literacy levels, and decrease poverty in our community,” was the mission on the flyer passed out throughout Fresno used to help promote the project fundraiser.
Renee Delport, special events and projects coordinator at Fresno State, is helping orchestrate the event and hopes that those in the community who are able will donate.
“It is important to realize that not all kids have books,” Delport said. “When kids are given books it opens a whole new world of possibilities for them.”
A donation of $10 can provide up to four new books and 100 percent of the proceeds goes to buying new books, most of which are for the local community. All donations are tax-deductible.
The donations for this year’s Holiday Gift Project Fundraiser would go to this organization to be able to use to purchase books in their communities.
“This year the organization that will be awarded is Every Neighborhood Partnership for their projects in the El Dorado and Vinland neighborhoods,” Delport said.
Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) is a Fresno based organization that focuses on the communities helping one another. The ENP’s goal, according to the groups mission statement, is “to equip churches to partner with and serve elementary school neighborhoods through their active presence in the community.”
Donations to the fundraiser can be mailed or dropped off at the Richter Center between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. Donations must be received by Dec. 1 to be used for this specific project.
Checks should be made payable to “First Book Fresno” and mail-ins should be mailed to Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning 5241 N. Maple Ave. M/S TA 120 Fresno, CA 93740-8027.
For more information about the Holiday Gift Fundraising Project, contact Renee Delport ([email protected]) or stop by The Jan and Bud Richter Center. For more information on First Book, visit firstbook.org