Starting Monday, September 7, KSBY is launching the station's first-ever "If You Give a Child a Book Campaign." This is KSBY's mission to work with the community in getting books in the hands and homes of hundreds of children across the Central Coast. This year's campaign will benefit Arellanes Elementary School in Tanglewood, just southwest of Santa Maria.
Arellanes is a Title One school, and its principal says it often means the school faces financial challenges when it comes to things they need. With nearly 300 students enrolled, many second-language learners, this year Arellanes Elementary School will be the recipient of the "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign.
"I'm always so grateful for new books," Kimberly Maldonado, a sixth-grader at Arellanes Elementary School said. "Because, like I said, they're like new adventures, a good book will also bring a good message to you in life."
For Kimberly Maldonado, every good book always has a good message. Plus, her love of reading shows up in all subjects in school.
"Even in math, in word problems, reading, just in math and it's like as story and really helps," Maldonado said.
That's why getting books in the hands of these Arellanes Elementary School students is so important.
"They don't have any books at home, they don't have any books in their home language but many of them don't have any type of book at home that they can pick from the reading log," Aimee McIntosh, a first-grade teacher at Arellanes said.
Jeannie Spina, a sixth-grade teacher at Arellanes calls literacy the true access point for success in school.
"When students can't read at grade level it makes every other topic a real challenge," Spina said.
Now, with limited library access, this school can use the community's support to make sure these students can have their very own pages to turn.
"They will be actually in their hands," Ron Smith, the principal at Arellanes said. "Our money is usually so regimented that it can't be a giveaway book, so we're excited that at the end of this partnership we're going to be able to put books in kid's hands."
With distance learning in full swing, breaks from screen time will benefit parents and students.
"We do have a population with hard-working parents where they're working hard as it is with their job and with the added trouble of language barriers something as simple as oh, that's a book, I want you to read it," Cesar Ruiz, the library media clerk at Arellanes said.
Give today, and see how your donation will benefit students at Arellanes Elementary School.
"We as kids need to read more because reading helps you learn," Maldonado said. "It's essential for life."
All the money raised from the campaign will go straight to Arellanes in the form of brand new books.
Only monetary donations are being accepted and the Scripps Howard Foundation is matching the first $5,000 dollars raised by the community.
KSBY is partnering with Scholastic to turn that money into new books we will distribute to students at Arellanes Elementary School. You can donate now through Friday. To find out more and how to donate visit KSBY.com/GiveABook or click here.
