The United Way of West Ellis County has been selected from among over 100 applications to receive an award for new books that will expand the United Way of West Ellis County’s mission of supporting local reading programs. First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise focused on equal access to quality education for children in need, awarded the funds as part of its OMG Books Awards: Offering More Great Books to Spark Innovation, a program that will give more than $4.7 million in funding to distribute 1.5 million brand new books and eBooks to children living in low-income communities in 33 U.S. states and territories.
The United Way of West Ellis County will use the award to allow two local school districts (Avalon ISD & Milford ISD) the opportunity to purchase books for their respective reading programs. “With this award, we will be able to bring new, high-quality books to the kids in Ellis County,” said Kasey Cheshier, Executive Director at the United Way. “This will make a tangible difference as we work to spark a love of reading and enable the book access which is essential to learning.”
Alton Chambers, Curriculum Counselor at Milford ISD stated, “The United Way has been a great partner to us over the years. We appreciate the assistance they provide to this community and the other programs that serve Ellis County.”
The Milford ISD librarian was able to purchase 90 new books with a retail value of $1,360. Books were selected to address the diversity issue in the community and accomplish her long-term objective of providing books written for African American and Hispanic students. The Milford Librarian Aid stated, "I wanted students to see themselves in books and we've lacked the funding in the past for this goal.
Awardees are using the funding to select books and eBooks from the First Book Marketplace (www.fbmarketplace.com), First Book’s award-winning eCommerce platform, that best meet the needs of the children they serve. Texas was among 9 states in the first cycle of awards. Additional awards will be granted throughout 2019. First Book estimates the total value of the books distributed will be more than $12 million.
“We know that access to books and eBooks makes a significant difference in a child’s future success,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book president, CEO, and cofounder. “Children do not thrive in deeply under-resourced environments and too many of the schools and programs have far too little. This deprivation has long-term consequences for the children, their families, their communities and our nation. This could not be more urgent. With the OMG Books Awards, First Book and the United Way of West Ellis County are investing not only in the future of the kids we’re reaching, but in the overall wellbeing of our nation.”
Access to adequate resources is one of the greatest contributors to educational success in the United States. Research indicates that just the presence of books in the home improves educational outcomes, yet low-income communities across the U.S. are plagued by vast ‘book deserts’—with one community having only a single book per as many as 830 children. Additionally, members of the First Book Network, who exclusively serve kids in need, have indicated that without First Book, the children they serve would have access to very few books, if any at all. (References below).
Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up to receive resources from First Book outside of OMG Books Awards at firstbook.org/join. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.