GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Brown County United Way’s Emerging Leaders are gifting a new book to every student at Howe Elementary Community School.
After receiving a financial sponsorship from Imperial Supplies in Green Bay, Brown County United Way was able to purchase the books from Lion’s Mouth Bookstore, a locally owned bookstore in downtown Green Bay.
The books are aimed at representing diversity in the Brown County community. Each student is receiving a book picked by their teacher to keep as their own.
"All of the books that we've purchased have some form of diverse representation," said Justis Tenpenny, the Communication and Engagement Manager for Brown County United Way. "We believe that it was really important for students to be able to see their community and their lives represented in the books that they are reading."
Research from United for Literacy suggests that Howe Elementary School is located in a "book desert". The research shows that 90 percent of the households in the school attendance area either do not have printed books and other reading materials or report that obtaining them is difficult.
Brown County United Way says it plans to continue the book drive every year. Book distribution is set for the last week of school, June 1st – 4th.
